Blooming Flowers: A Seasonal History of Plants and People

by Kasia Boddy

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300252071
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	63 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kasia Boddy teaches American literature at the University of Cambridge. Her books include Boxing: A Cultural History, The American Short Story Since 1950, and Geranium. She lives in Cambridge, UK.

Table of Contents

Gathering Flowers ix

Spring 1

Daisy 5

Daffodil 17

Lily 27

Carnation 39

Summer 55

Rose 59

Lotus 71

Cotton 83

Sunflower 95

Autumn 113

Saffron 117

Chrysanthemum 128

Marigold 140

Poppy 150

Winter 161

Violet 165

Geranium 176

Snowdrop 188

Almond 198

Literary Seeds and Sources 210

Illustration Credits 230

Acknowledgements 235

Index 236

Editorial Reviews

04/27/2020

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. (June)

Publishers Weekly

It’s not about gardening, nor is it about the structure or origins of plants, but a sort of engaging miscellany . . . There is much to be learnt on almost every page.”—Richard Eyre, Sunday Times

“Fresh, novel . . . and unclassifiable.”—Publishers Weekly

“The sheer breadth of her knowledge is engaging, and the pace is steady . . . I found Blooming Flowers pleasurable reading that provides many interesting tidbits of lore”—Tracy Mehlin, Leaflet for Scholars

“From the meaning of carnations in Sex and the City to the use of sunflowers in the cleanup of Chernobyl, from Henry VIII’s ban on saffron dye in Ireland to the modernist reinventions of roses, this is no ordinary flower book, and Kasia Boddy is no ordinary writer.”—Ali Smith, author of Spring

“Unlike any book I have read on flowers. We get a superb range of cultural information and imagery from ancient times right through to the very modern, and from all parts of the world. Fascinating.”—Margaret Willes, author of The Gardens of the British Working Class

“There is no doubt that anyone perusing the pages will view afresh the blooming flowers in their garden . . . A compelling, contextualising tapestry written with both vivacity and analytical rigour.”—Chris Beardshaw, Garden Designer and Broadcaster

“Blooming Flowers is a gorgeously lush evocation of twelve different flowers, each one steeped in its own stories, cultural associations and botanical wonder. It is not just a sunny celebration of everything floral—we learn how intimately flowers are entwined with global warming, transatlantic slavery, US imperialism and nuclear radioactivity—but this is a beautifully written book, full of exquisite detail, startling facts and laced with just the right amount of poetry.”—Peter Fiennes, author of Oak and Ash and Thorn

From the Publisher