Christopher Carter - The Ecology of Eden: Chapter 13 - Arcadia

3/11/07
I’ll start this off with one of the series of chapters I’d like to talk about in the book “The Ecology of Eden.” I found these sets of chapters to be incredibly fascinating, considering they are about a topic that I have a profound interest in; Arcadia. Specifically the myths and legends revolving around Greek society and history. Arcadia is “paradise”, but it is also the realization of a pastoral Eden on Earth.

However, it is not just paradise, it is filled with many bad thoughts and ideas, mainly the realization that there can never really be a paradise, which hurts especially when you have come so far. Melancholy in Pastoral is found in inevitable change, unrequited love, and death. However, the book states that “never before have so many people tried to live in Arcadia” p.145. Now, in Suburbia, we have our new found Arcadia, described in the book as “smooth shaven; chemical splashed lawns [that] replace grassland and brush”. I want to know how many people in American society actually think that Suburbia is close to Arcadia, or how many people are satisfied with Suburbia itself. I don’t think many would agree with the fact that Suburbia is “nice”. I think most people would imagine a lake house, or something of that sort.