What is the appeal of the pastoral setting in renaissance literature...?

Question

What is the appeal of the pastoral setting in renaissance literature and what affect has it had on modern artistic experession...any ideas? or at least can you answer the first part of the question

Answer 1

What other setting could be more appealing to a Renaissance person? There were only two settings to choose from, pastoral and urban. Renaissance cities were full of filth and disease, so city dwellers (including writers) looked to the countryside as an aesthetically attractive (although impracticable for most) alternative to city life.

Answer 2

You are safe in green pastures, beside still waters, where the Shepherd watches over us.

Danger lurks in the mean streets of the city.