A 5 page analysis

A 5 page analysis of the seventeenth century classic that mixes philosophical musings on nature with advice on how to catch fish. In the mid-seventeenth century, author Izaak Walton witnessed the English civil war with a rising sense of horror. A firm Royalist, Walton reported that the 'malice and madness' was 'scarce credible, but I saw it' (4). To provide himself and his friends with a 'recreative distraction' during this period of awful public turmoil, Walton composed The Compleat Angler, which was first published in 1653 (8). 'Angling' is, of course, the art of fishing, and in detailing his considerable knowledge on this subject, Walton offered his readers a pastoral retreat from the political pressures of the day. No additional sources cited...