Sacred seeds : new world plants in early modern English literature / Edward McLean Test.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Test, Edward McLean, author.

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Series:

Early modern cultural studies (Lincoln, Neb.)

Early modern cultural studies series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indigenous peoples.

America--In literature.

America.

Europe--Civilization--American influences.

Europe.

Civilization.

English literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--History and criticism.

English literature.

Gardens in literature.

Plants in literature.

Indigenous peoples--America--Influence.

Nature--Religious aspects.

Nature.

Civilization--American influences.

English literature--Early modern.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xii, 231 pages ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

New world plants in early modern English literature

Place of Publication:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, [2019]

Summary:

"More than five hundred years after the fact, present-day writers still use hyperbolic adjectives to describe the "discovery" of the Americas. Columbus's crossing of the Atlantic--and the age of exploration that ensued--dramatically and forever changed the early modern world. The societies, economies, cultures, arts, and burgeoning sciences of Europe were quickly transformed by the ongoing encounter with the New World. The meeting of the New and the Old Worlds, however, was more than a meeting of disparate civilizations. It was also a confluence of exciting and often surprising associations that continually created new interfaces between materials and knowledge. The Western and Eastern Hemispheres, brought together by sailing ships for the first time on a large scale, helped create the global landscape we take for granted today. Central to this formative moment in global history were New World plants. The agriculture of indigenous peoples mythically and materially shaped English society and, subsequently, its literature in new and startling ways. Sacred Seeds examines New World plants--tobacco, amaranth, guaiacum, and the prickly pear cactus--and their associated Native myths as they moved across the Atlantic and into English literature. Edward McLean Test reinstates the contributions of indigenous peoples to European society, charting an alternative cultural history that explores the associations and assemblages of transatlantic multiplicity rather than Eurocentric homogeny"-- Provided by publisher.

"Sacred Seeds examines New World plants and their associated Native myths as they moved across the Atlantic and into English literature"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

New seeds, strange countries: herbals

People of the figs: travel writing

King tobacco: a study in genre

The holy wood of America: Guaiac and The Faerie Queene

Love lies bleeding: Amaranth and The Faerie Queene.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9781496207883

1496207882

OCLC:

1031918394