What is a Georgic?
A poetic work that praises the virtues of agriculture and rural life.
Get Your Hands Dirty: Exploring the Georgic
The georgic is a poetic work that praises the virtues of agriculture and rural life. It takes its name from the Latin word georgicus, which means 'pertaining to agriculture.'
This literary genre has its roots in the works of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, who wrote about the joys and challenges of farming in his seminal work Works and Days. The Roman poet Virgil is often cited as the most famous georgic poet, having penned a series of four poems on the subject that are now known as the Georgics.
Georgic poetry often features descriptions of idyllic farms, bustling markets, and hardworking farmers. These works celebrate the beauty and bounty of nature, while also acknowledging the challenges and risks inherent in agriculture. They also reflect broader societal views on the value of farming and the rural lifestyle.
While the georgic may seem a far cry from contemporary creative writing, its emphasis on detailed, sensory descriptions and its celebration of everyday life continue to resonate with modern audiences. Whether you're interested in exploring the history of this genre or taking inspiration from its focus on the rhythms of the natural world, the georgic is a rich and rewarding area of study for writers and readers alike.
Although the georgic may seem like an archaic form, it has been adapted and reinterpreted in many works of literature over the centuries. Here are two examples of how different writers have used this genre to explore themes ranging from social justice to the joys of growing your own food.
Perhaps the most famous example of the georgic, Virgil's Georgics are a four-part poem that extols the virtues of farming and agriculture. Virgil wrote the work in the first century BCE, at a time when Rome was beginning to colonize and exploit much of the Mediterranean basin. While the Georgics celebrates the productive power of nature, it also acknowledges the ways in which farming can be a difficult and often thankless task. Virgil writes movingly of the labor involved in tending to crops and livestock, and he weaves in discussions of topics as diverse as animal husbandry, beekeeping, and even ancient weather forecasting.
Georgic literature need not be confined to poetry. In his book The New Agrarianism, legal scholar Eric Freyfogle explores the ways in which contemporary movements to promote sustainable agriculture and rural lifestyles can be viewed through the lens of the georgic. Freyfogle argues that by turning back to the land and focusing on agrarian values such as community, frugality, and respect for nature, society can begin to address many of the ecological, economic, and social challenges of the modern world. While his writing is distinctly contemporary and academic, it echoes many of the same themes that have been explored in works of georgic poetry over the centuries.