The Exploitation of the Body in the “Pastoral State”

Nethermere in The White Peacock

Abstract

In Nethermere, the country of The White Peacock, the pastoral atmosphere is foregrounded, so Michael Squires argues that Nethermere is represented as the Golden Age. However, considering that the actual economic situation of the working-class people in the country of the early 20th century is clearly shown in it, it should be considered as a historical existence, not as a symbol of the Golden Age. At the time, when the poor physiques of the working-class in industrial cities were a national problem, rural places were often praised as the sources of healthy bodies, which were thought to be useful for checking the decline of the Empire. This historical situation of English society and the tradition of pastoral literature try to make Nethermere an ideal place, but the text, resisting the influence of the two factors, reveals the discrimination against working-class people and the deception which are both hidden in the idealisation of the country.