When I read "The Vegetational Fatherhood," I immediately thought of the medieval dream allegory, The Romance of the Rose. This extremely long poem was written in two parts by two separate authors, namely Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. The two viewed courtly love and women in very differing ways, as is apparent in their respective portions of the work. The poem is styled as an allegorical dream that personifies all of the emotions and feelings associated with courtly live (i.e. Jealousy, Fair Welcome, Lust, etc.). Simply put, it is a manual on the Art of Love. The poet/dreamer falls asleep and dreams about a Rose (the woman of his affection) that is secluded in the Garden of Love. The chivalric knight must abide by all of the rules of courtly love in order to woo said rose, or fair maiden.
The fairy tale begins with an introduction on the mesmerizing effects that plants have on people. From the beginning, we are told that "you would have to be a person without feelings not to sense the sympatetic current that emanates, for example, from a beautiful rose in full bloom. Could it be that the rose itself plays a role in this?" Just as the Rose in The Romance of the Rose represents Woman that stires male desire, the rose in this tale also enduces similar effects. A few paragraphs into the poem we learn that the woman "dreamed a love dream" and wound up giving birth to a girl. I immediately drew a parallel between the fairy tale and the Romance; not only is the entire tale centered around the "Rose," who is a beautiful woman and the object of Dr. Rosenberger's affection, but she is also conceived within a dream.
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very interesting! It is really cool to trace this theme of women and roses in literature. It is very helpful when trying to interpret the story.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very interesting connection! I have not read the poem that you refer to, but I want to try and find it now!
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