The Duchess of Malfi's Apricots, and Other Literary Fruits - Hardcover

Palter, Robert (M.); Palter, Robert M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1570034176 ISBN 13: 9781570034176

Publisher: University of South Carolina Press, 2002

Synopsis

The sensuous richness and bawdy ridiculousness of fruits are a regular feature of literature, from the Bible and ancient Greek plays to Arabic court poetry and medieval and modern prose and verse. This attractive and substantial volume revels in the luxurious fruity metaphors of the past with chapters dedicated to particular fruits and their literary double meanings through the ages. Palter begins with apples and figs and picks his way through strawberries (and cream), plums, bananas, peaches, apricots, pomegranates, pears, pineapples, citrus fruits, melons, cherries, grapes and berries. He also looks at wine, orchards and gardens and the enemies of fruit. The volume is full of poetry and prose, demonstrating how authors have used fruit to describe much about the human experience, particularly sex, love and desire. The chapters also look at the place of each fruit in kitchens through the ages, as they evolved from being an exotic to a more everyday food, and their perceived medicinal properties. This is a lovely book, well worth a dip.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in Queens, New York, ROBERT PALTER earned a degree in chemistry at Columbia University and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army, working on the Manhattan Project. Currently the Dana Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Palter has also taught at the University of Texas and the University of Chicago. A scholar with wide-ranging interests, he has published on the philosophy and history of science as well as eighteenth-century intellectual history. Palter lives in New Britain, Connecticut.

Review:

"A glorious book, one to delight modern lovers of Robert Burton, Sir Thomas Browne, and Johnny Appleseed." -- Douglass Parker, University of Texas, Austin

About this edition

• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1570034176
• ISBN 13: 9781570034176
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 872