Pastor Fido (1793)

Pastor Fido is a pastoral tragicomedy written by Italian author Battista Guarini and first published in 1590. The story is set in Arcadia, a mythical land of shepherds and nymphs, and follows the love story of two shepherds, Silvio and Dorinda, who are forbidden to be together by their fathers. The play explores themes of love, loyalty, and the conflict between individual desires and social expectations.The title character, Pastor Fido, is a faithful dog who serves as a symbol of loyalty and devotion throughout the play. He is owned by Silvio and is a constant companion to him throughout his trials and tribulations. The play also features a cast of colorful characters, including nymphs, satyrs, and other shepherds, who provide comic relief and add to the overall pastoral atmosphere of the story.Pastor Fido was a significant work in its time and helped to establish the pastoral genre as a popular literary form. It went on to influence many other works of literature, including Shakespeare's As You Like It and Milton's Lycidas. The book was translated into many languages and remains a classic of Italian literature to this day.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.