George Barbier, Les Amours pastorales de Daphnis et Chloé, 1918.
The subject of Daphnis and Chloe is distinguished from other Greek novels by its bucolic setting and the constant irony which governs the course of the action.
It is above all their sentimental education which is described throughout the adventures of the novel. The two protagonists live in the countryside, near the city of Mytilene on the islandof Lesbos. Daphnis is a young goatherd, a child found by shepherds (in a laurel grove, hence his name which comes from the ancient Greek δάφνη (daphnè), laurel). Chloé, for her part, is a shepherdess, also a foundling. They grow up in a pastoral setting and fall in love with each other, but multiple twists and turns prevent them from satisfying their love. However, the outcome is a comedy: the two children are recognized by their respective parents, who are rich people from Mytilene, lifelong friends, and who are going to marry them. (x)
