Blooming Flowers
A Seasonal History of Plants and People
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- US$10.99
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- US$10.99
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An evocative and richly illustrated exploration of flowers and how, over the centuries, they have given us so much sustenance, meaning, and pleasure
The bright yellow of a marigold and the cheerful red of a geranium, the evocative fragrance of a lotus or a saffron-infused paella—there is no end of reasons to love flowers. Ranging through the centuries and across the globe, Kasia Boddy looks at the wealth of floral associations that has been passed down in perfumes, poems, and paintings; in the design of buildings, clothes, and jewelry; in songs, TV shows, and children’s names; and in nearly every religious, social, and political ritual.
Exploring the first daffodils of spring and the last chrysanthemums of autumn, this is also a book about seasons. In vibrant detail and drawing on a rich array of illustrations, Boddy considers how the sunflower, poppy, rose, lily—and many others—have given rise to meaning, value, and inspiration throughout history, and why they are integral to so many different cultures.
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Fresh and novel in its approach, this almost unclassifiable work of literary scholarship by Boddy (Geranium), an American literature professor at the University of Cambridge, ruminates on how 16 different flowers have been sewn into popular culture, politics, and the arts. The flowers, divided among the four seasons they represent, include old standbys (such as roses and lilies) as well as unusual varieties (such as almond and cotton flowers). In a meandering, essayistic fashion and with a flair for aphorisms ("Autumn is spring's alter ego"), Boddy touches on origins, popular associations, and ceremonial and medicinal applications in countries around the world (including China, Japan, Mexico, India, and Iran). Noting that flowers are among the "most ancient of mediums through which we communicate," Boddy points out a variety of works where they pop up, among them films (such as 1931's Frankenstein, in which Boris Karloff's monster picks petals off a daisy), novels (such as the poppy fields in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), and paintings (including O'Keefe's "close-up portraits" and Van Gogh's Sunflowers). Boddy's deeply individualistic assemblage will appeal to gardeners and literature lovers alike.
