Gardeners’ Labyrinths: On Plants, Poetry, and the Printed Book

Why have printers and poets long seen an affinity between their books and the world of plants? From ancient florilegia and anthologia (both deriving from words for gatherings of flowers) up to the present day, the connections between books and botany run deep. This talk dives into this longer history, placing a special focus on the sixteenth century in England – a time that saw a renaissance in gardening and gardening books as well as an explosion of printed poetry. Why, we will ask, did printers during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I begin publishing dozens of books called “gardens,” “forests,” and “bowers”? What might we learn from looking at the histories of gardening, the history of printed books, and the period’s fascinating “plant poetry” alongside one another?

Fee: Free. Pre-Registration is required.

Location: You may attend this lecture in person at the Nevin Welcome Center, or virtually via Zoom. Seating at the Welcome Center is limited.

Register on this Eventbrite page for the in-person lecture.

About Professor Rosenberg

Jessica Rosenberg’s research and teaching examine the literature and culture of early modern England, with additional focus on science and literature, the history of material texts and media forms, and the aesthetic dimensions of everyday life. She is the author of Botanical Poetics: Early Modern Plant Books and the Husbandry of Print (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023), as well as articles on husbandry, hospitality, poetry and plants, and the poetics of practical address. Her writing has been published in ELH, postmedieval, Philological Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is currently working on a book about how small epistemic forms, like knacks, devices, recipes, and techniques, shaped early modern comedy and everyday life.

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