46 GESSNBR AND THE CUIjMINATION OF THE PASTORAL, IHYL. 



thought that he could produce a world which was as real as that 

 of Theocritus, without the latter's seeming coarseness, not appre- 

 ciating that it is just the combination of all these small touches 

 in Theocritus which give color and life to his characters and to 

 his poetry. 



Though Gessner himself challenges a comparison of his idyls 

 with those of Theocritus, we cannot judge them by the same 

 standard, but must always remember, that the aim and purpose 

 of the two poets was altogether different.' It was Gessner's aim 

 to describe a Golden Age, in which piety and virtue and calm 

 happiness reigned supreme; it was his aim to portray a nature 

 beautiful and perfect, like the paradise of the Bible. Besides this 

 there was the moral purpose: Gessner wished to strengthen in 

 his readers the desire to lead a life of virtue and contentment, and 

 wished to arouse a deep appreciation of the beauties of nature. 

 And who would deny that Gessner has accomplished this his purpose 

 to a remarkable degree? He must ever be honored on account of 

 the tenderness of his feelings, the purity of his thought, the grace 

 of his presentation, and the harmony of his language. 



Even though Gessner misunderstood the character of Theoc- 

 ritus's idyls, yet by turning to them for his models he called the 

 attention of his contemporaries and successors to Theocritus. 

 The need of a greater realism began to make itself felt and gave 

 an impulse towards the later realistic development of the idyl. 



If you wish briefly to sum up the characteristics of Gessner's 

 idyls, it can be best done in the words of Goethe: "Malender Dich- 

 ter! — Dazu charakterisiert sich Gessner selbst, und wer mit Les- 

 singen der ganzen Gattung ungiinstig ware, wiiixle hier wenig zu 

 loben finden: Mit dem empfindlichsten Auge fiir die Schonheiten 

 der Natur hat G. reizende Gegenden durchwandelt, in seiner Ein- 

 bildungskraft zusammengesetzt, verschonert — und so standen 



standgen hab icli zu vermeiden getrachtet." Se Introduction to Gessner's Idyls, 

 p. 65. 



1 Concerning the character of the idyls of Theocritus, see page 11 . 



