Stewart, Jemma (2018) Blooming marvel: the garlic flower in Bram Stoker’s hermeneutic garden. Gothic Studies 20 (1-2), pp. 326-345. ISSN 2050-456X.
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Abstract
This article explores the use of floral symbolism within Gothic fiction of the fin de siècle. Taking as a basis the language of flower anthologies popularised throughout the nineteenth century, it investigates how this notoriously unstable floral language filtered through into the popular Gothic fiction at the end of the century. Whilst authors of Gothic may have adhered to existing codes and associations pertaining to particular flowers, they also destabilised traditional meaning, and introduced a new floral lexicon into the popular imagination. The article primarily considers Bram Stoker’s Dracula in an attempt to locate floral significance through consideration of the production and widely discussed political agenda of the text. Through a close reading of Dracula’s garlic flower, the article asks whether there might be a Gothic language of flowers situated within the narrative that bears comparison with other Gothic fictions of the period and beyond.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication |
| Depositing User: | Jemma Stewart |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jun 2025 11:47 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2025 09:34 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/55711 |
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