Domestic Georgic: Labors of Preservation from Rabelais to Milton

In this revisionist study, Katie Kadue argues that some of the authors we credit with groundbreaking literary feats conceived of their writing in modest and domestic terms, aligning it with women's work. Male authors' engagements with a feminized georgic mode became central to their conceptions of literature, focusing on the necessity of constant labor to preserve individual and collective life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In this thought-provoking revisionist study, Katie Kadue delves into the realm of literary production, challenging the notion that it is always inherently inspired and heroic. Kadue reveals that some of the authors widely regarded as groundbreaking literary figures, such as Michel de Montaigne and John Milton, had surprisingly modest and domestic perspectives when it came to their writing. Contrary to the grandiose ambitions associated with the literature of the time, Kadue uncovers an undercurrent of Virgil's Georgics that portrays poetic labor during the Renaissance as often aligned with what is traditionally considered women's work. Through her meticulous research, Kadue unveils how male authors engaged with a feminized georgic mode, shaping their conceptions of what literature could be and should be. This other georgic strain in literature shared a fundamental concern with housekeeping: the relentless and invisible labor required to maintain the integrity of the world. Domestic Georgic sheds light on a different perspective of literary labor, emphasizing its role as a form of maintenance work rather than a pursuit of originality and fame. It suggests that literature is not merely a creative endeavor but a means of preserving individual and collective life, akin to the meticulous tasks of housekeeping. By exploring this overlooked aspect of literary history, Kadue offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the complexities of artistic creation and the role of gender in shaping artistic expressions.

Weight: 486g
Dimension: 236 x 158 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226797359