locus amoenus

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin locus amoenus (“pleasant place”).

Noun

locus amoenus (plural loci amoeni)

1. (literature, poetry) A literary motif of an idealised place of safety or comfort, typically comprising a meadow, trees (for shade) and water; sometimes evoking connotations of Eden or Elysium.

Usage notes

• According to Wikipedia, German philologist Ernst Robert Curtius wrote the concept's definitive formulation for his 1948 study Europäische Literatur und Lateinisches Mittelalter (translated into English as European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages (1953)).
• The motif dates at least back to Homer, and later became a staple of the pastoral works of poets such as Theocritus and Virgil. In the Middle Ages, the classical motif was merged with biblical imagery, and it became a popular theme during the Renaissance. In the 20th century, the motif appears, for example, in the works of T. S. Eliot and J. R. R. Tolkien. (See Locus amoenus § History on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )

Related terms

• locus terribilis
• locus horridus

Translations

literary motif

• French: locus amoenus (fr) m
• German: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• Arcadia

References

• 2012, Philip Russell Hardie, "locus amoenus", article in Oxford Classical Dictionary (accessed online via Wikipedia Library)