Note
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Member of
Contributors
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Date Issued
1978
Description
Three of Richard Brautigan's novels extensively employ the
American pastoral motif in a predominantly romance form.
All contrast the urban American present with a simpler,
idealized pastoral setting. Working within each book is the
"return to nature" mystique or impulse, treated comically or
ironically. In A Confederate General from Big Sur, the
"return to nature" impulse is comically linked to an extended
metaphor of the Civil War. The combination denigrates the
pastoral time away, creating a comic burlesque. In watermelon
Sugar "returns to nature" in a fantasy, postindustrial
Eden. Far from depicting the successful attainment
of the yearned-for simplicity in a second Eden,
Brautigan critically and ironically renders the perfect
pastoral paradise. In Trout Fishing in America, the
narrator searches for the pastoral ideal in urban America.
A viable pastoral retreat is attained through the power of
the imagination that reconciles contemporary industrialized
America to its pastoral past.
American pastoral motif in a predominantly romance form.
All contrast the urban American present with a simpler,
idealized pastoral setting. Working within each book is the
"return to nature" mystique or impulse, treated comically or
ironically. In A Confederate General from Big Sur, the
"return to nature" impulse is comically linked to an extended
metaphor of the Civil War. The combination denigrates the
pastoral time away, creating a comic burlesque. In watermelon
Sugar "returns to nature" in a fantasy, postindustrial
Eden. Far from depicting the successful attainment
of the yearned-for simplicity in a second Eden,
Brautigan critically and ironically renders the perfect
pastoral paradise. In Trout Fishing in America, the
narrator searches for the pastoral ideal in urban America.
A viable pastoral retreat is attained through the power of
the imagination that reconciles contemporary industrialized
America to its pastoral past.
Language
Type
Form
Extent
90 p.
Subject (Topical)
Identifier
13916
Additional Information
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1978.
FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Date Backup
1978
Date Text
1978
Date Issued (EDTF)
1978
Extension
FAU
FAU
admin_unit="FAU01", ingest_id="ing1508", creator="staff:fcllz", creation_date="2007-07-19 01:49:24", modified_by="staff:fcllz", modification_date="2011-01-06 13:09:03"
IID
FADT13916
Issuance
monographic
Organizations
Attributed name: Florida Atlantic University
Person Preferred Name
GRADDY, JULIA COLOMITZ.
Graduate College
Physical Description
90 p.
application/pdf
Title Plain
RICHARD BRAUTIGAN AND THE PASTORAL ROMANCE
Use and Reproduction
Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Origin Information
1978
monographic
Boca Raton, Fla.
Florida Atlantic University
Physical Location
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Place
Boca Raton, Fla.
Sub Location
Digital Library
Title
RICHARD BRAUTIGAN AND THE PASTORAL ROMANCE
Other Title Info
RICHARD BRAUTIGAN AND THE PASTORAL ROMANCE