Terry Gifford clarifies the different uses of pastoral, and traces the history of the genre from its classical origins in the poetic dialogues of supposed shepherds, to Elizabethan dramas such as The Winters Tale, through the pastoral poetry of Pope, Wordsworth and Clare, to the more recent rural novels and contemporary American nature writing. Beginning with constructions of Arcadia, the book traces the pastoral impulse of retreat and return using a combination of close reading of quoted texts, cultural studies and eco-criticism. A theory of escape from this circular tension is offered in the final discussion of texts that are post-pastoral, and Gifford argues that some writers have discovered ways of reconnecting us with our natural environment in an attempt to heal our alienation from nature. Pastoral is an accessible, succinct and up-to-date introductory text to the history, major writers and critical issues of this genre. Students will find it essential reading.