Book details
The language of flowers
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Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 71779
- Title
- The language of flowers
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
This 1851 volume decodes the symbolic language of flora, exploring how specific blooms convey emotions from love to grief. Blending poetry, botanical observation, and historical context, it offers a guide to understanding nature's silent messages, appealing to readers seeking elegant, innocent enjoyment through the universal art of floral communication.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
Henrietta Dumont's *The Language of Flowers* presents a comprehensive exploration of the symbolic meanings attributed to various plants throughout history. The work begins by questioning why nature scatters such a profusion of flowers, concluding that they possess a real, natural significance corresponding to human sentiments and passions. Dumont argues that this language has been universally understood in the East for ages and recognized in European literature, citing Shakespeare's depiction of Ophelia as evidence of its deep roots. The book serves as both an educational text and a collection of poetry, explaining the specific meanings of hundreds of flowers, such as the snowdrop representing hope or the mezereon symbolizing coquetry. Each entry often includes original poems or verses that illustrate the flower's emotional resonance, ranging from the innocence of the daisy to the jealousy of the yellow rose. The text also functions as a practical guide, featuring a 'Calendar of Flowers' that lists species blooming in specific months and a 'Dial of Flowers' that tracks the hours when certain plants open or close, suggesting their use as a natural clock. Through this blend of botanical fact and poetic sentiment, the book aims to increase the means of elegant enjoyment, teaching readers to interpret the 'votive wreath' over a tomb or the 'chaplet' of a bride with greater depth and understanding. By connecting flora to emotions like grief, love, and solitude, Dumont transforms the garden into a medium for communication, where the opening and closing of petals serve as a silent dialogue between nature and humanity.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71779.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
data/epubs/pg71779.epub - Downloaded at
- 2026-07-07 14:13 UTC
People
Authors
- Henrietta Dumont
Classification
Categories
- Flower Language
- Flowers in literature