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The georgic mode and ‘poor labours’ of George Herbert
Author(s) -
Sandberg Julianne
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
renaissance studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1477-4658
pISSN - 0269-1213
DOI - 10.1111/rest.12124
Subject(s) - subjectivity , tone (literature) , representation (politics) , value (mathematics) , identity (music) , george (robot) , aesthetics , sociology , history , literature , art , philosophy , art history , epistemology , political science , law , computer science , machine learning , politics
Despite the seeming pastoralism of his tone and imagery, G eorge H erbert applies a strictly georgic lens to his representation of his theology and subjectivity. The constructs of labour – which define the economic, agricultural, and literary landscapes of seventeenth‐century E ngland – become the standard by which H erbert measures his own worth to the nation, to the church, and to G od. He structures his identity as both priest and poet according to the georgic emphasis on labour, production, and fruitfulness; seeks to justify his work according to its use‐value; and maps these same values onto his theology by consistently describing G od as a labourer. In doing so, he frequently turns to the natural world as an example of what he would like to become, since the environment embodies the georgic principles of labour and production that he hopes will mark his own life.