Grant Wiley – Ecology of Eden, Arcadia (class reading)


            Starting in part three, Eisenberg begins talking about what he calls idylls. These peaceful, happy episodes that can be shown in different mediums of literature and art. The most common are the pastoral poems which have now become widespread. Basically, idylls depict rural-like scenery, but in a positive and happy way. They certainly don’t approach wilderness like the American settlers in a negative way as something that needs to be controlled. Still, they are still idealistic in that they leave out the negative sides of more rural living. The point that Eisenberg makes is that these idylls are basically trying to show Arcadia in an artistic way. Arcadia was a literal place on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It was a place of legend where people lived in communion with nature and was depicted as the perfect middle-ground between the mountain and the tower that I discussed in the last blog. Many of the pastoral poems depict Arcadia as this supernatural place that includes animal husbandry, sex, and a lack of children. 

            Also in part three, Eisenberg attempts to explain the modern-day equivalents of Arcadia. He brings up suburbs which are basically the neighborhoods on the outskirts of cities. These are places that find themselves between the tower (the city) and the mountain (the wild). Eisenberg explains how there are an alarming number of suburbs around the world as many people are searching out for Arcadia still. He then goes on to talk about summer homes like lake and beach houses. He explains that these places are not a modern invention, but that they have been around for hundreds and thousands of years. Rulers in the past would have different homes and would move around based on the weather throughout the year. Both places try to find the middle-ground between the mountain and the tower, but in different ways. The suburb attempts to just find the place in between and stay there permanently. The summer home, on the other hand, realizes that a permanent Arcadia is not possible and tries to simply have it for a part of the year. Both attempts at Arcadia fail in the end. 

            This reading was especially applicable to me as a I grew up in somewhat of a suburb. I lived on the outskirts of the city in a place where I felt a part of the rural landscape but was close enough to the city that I was able to drive to somewhere like Costco with ease. Still, I felt like I would have rather just picked one or the other. Additionally, Eisenberg brings up two main issues with suburban areas. Firstly, they keep expanding outwards toward the mountains. This means that suburban areas that were once the perfect Arcadia eventually just become part of the city. This can be seen in Newport News where the city took over the entire county. Secondly, the amount of energy and waste produced by cars is much higher in a suburban area. To go anywhere, you must take a car, therefore air pollution goes up greatly. These are great points that Eisenberg brings up and it will greatly affect my future living arrangement choices. 

- March 10, 2021

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