Gardens in Literature: Classic Books Featuring Inspiring Gardens 文学经典中引人入胜的花园

俞月圆

Gardens have an enchanting quality that has not been overlooked by artists of all kinds. Many famous authors have featured gardens in their work and used them as a device for character and plot development. In literature， gardens represent spaces of great potential which can promote healing and learning， create romantic bonds， and even send characters into magical realms. These seven classic books might inspire you to model your own garden after them， or at the very least give you some new ideas to dream about.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen （1813）

“Will you tell me how long you have loved him？”

“It has been coming on so gradually， that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”

Gardens in Victorian novels are important in-between spaces. In the nineteenth century， domestic areas inside the home were traditionally feminine and the public sphere was seen as a masculine space， but Victorian gardens， as spaces that are not quite private or public， create an area where men and women can interact as equals. In Jane Austens beloved Pride and Prejudice1 the heroine， Elizabeth Bennett， only realizes her true feelings for the gentlemen she loves， Fitzwilliam Darcy， when she visits his manor while he is away.

Elizabeth strolls through the grounds at Pemberley and is taken aback2 by the gardens， and moreover by how well cared for they are. It is partially this care， given to the manor and its grounds by Mr. Darcy， which convinces Elizabeth that he is， in fact， a gentle and kind man worthy of her love. Reading this novel makes you want to stroll through a traditional English garden （and perhaps take a dip in the pond with Mr. Darcy）.

Murder by the Book by Rex Stout （1951）

“‘Look at this Oncidium varicosum， he grumbled. ‘Dry rot in April. It has never happened before and there is no explanation.”

Murder by the Book， one of many wonderful Rex Stout novels featuring detective Nero Wolfe， is not just a riveting3 murder mystery， but a lesson in garden therapy. Nero Wolfes occupation is detective， but his passion is for growing orchids. When his cases get too tough， he retreats to his greenhouse to garden and， sure enough， after spending enough time ruminating among his orchids， he is able to solve the case.

The orchids play such an important part in the novel that there are even some orchid varieties named after the protagonist now！ Reading Murder by the Book， with its inspiring descriptions of the sun room filled with exotic and fragrant orchids， is the next best thing to having an orchid room of your own， and it may even inspire you to create one in your home.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde （1895）

“Oh， flowers are as common here， Miss Fairfax， as people are in London.”

The garden in Oscar Wildes most famous play， The Importance of Being Earnest， is the backdrop for many comedic and romantic scenes. It provides a space for characters to hide and overhear one another， and most of all it offers an escape for the young lady of the house， Cecily. Cecily is constantly wandering off to the garden to write in her diary or to water flowers， and uses the excuse of watering flowers to avoid her distasteful German lessons. Cecilys joy at escaping into the garden to take care of her beloved blooms and daydream is a good reminder of the simple pleasures that getting out in the garden can bring.

Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll （1865）

“... she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed to get out of that dark hall， and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains.”

In Alices Adventures in Wonderland， gardens represent transition to a new space. It is in the garden that Alice finds the rabbit hole， and once she tumbles down it she spies another garden from inside a hallway which she feels she must get to if she is ever to find her way home. The image of the garden Alice is desperate to reach， with its cooling fountains and lush flowerbeds， sounds good enough to magically shrink yourself to get into！

A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare （1605）

“What angel wakes me from my flowery bed？”

In this Shakespearean comedy， flowers carry a great deal of influence and have the power to control the way that people act and feel. It is the heady perfume of summer flowers which puts Titania into a deep sleep and casts a spell on her so that she falls in love with the next man she sees. A Midsummer Nights Dream captures the enraptured feeling we get from taking an evening stroll through a flower garden in the heat of summer， and reminds us of the magic thats there.

The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker （1927）

“O little playmates whom I love！

The sky is summer-blue，

And meadows full of buttercups

Are spread abroad for you.”

Cicely Mary Barkers The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies has been delighting children and adults for generations. Her gorgeously detailed illustrations of each fairy and its corresponding flower are a wonder to look at， and make learning about plant identification feel positively enchanting. After reading this， children and grown-ups alike will want to make sweet little fairy houses for the garden to encourage the flower fairies to come and stay.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett （1911）

“The things which happened in that garden！ If you have never had a garden， you cannot understand and if you have had a garden， you will know that it would take a whole book to describe all that came to pass there. ”

The Secret Garden is a charming coming-of-age7 story that shows how Mary Lennox， a malnourished， unhappy orphan girl is transformed by her discovery of an abandoned secret garden all her own where she can play in the fresh air and learn to nurture spring bulbs and help them grow. The gardens power is so great that it even entices Colin， a bed-ridden boy who suffers more from hypochondria8 and refusing to leave the house than anything else， to venture outdoors and see the spring arriving in the garden for himself.

The secret garden， with its robin family twittering away in their nest， ancient sprawling roses， apple trees trained flat against the wall， and ivy covering up the hidden door， is a private space of mystery， transformation， learning， and healing.

花园具有所有门类的艺术家都不曾忽视的迷人风采。许多著名作家曾在作品中写过花园，用它们来塑造人物、推动情节发展。在文学作品中，花园是具有巨大潜力的空间，可以疗愈心灵、增长学识，可以建立浪漫关系，甚至还可以将角色送入魔法世界。以下七本文学经典也许将为你带来启发，帮助你仿照它们造出自己的花园;至少它们能带给你一些新的梦想。

简·奥斯汀《傲慢与偏见》（1813）

“你愿不愿意告诉我，你爱上他有多久了？”

“这是慢慢发展起来的，我也说不清是什么时候开始的。但我想，应该是从看到他在彭伯利的那座美丽花园开始的。”

维多利亚时期小说中的花园是重要的“中间地带”。在19世纪，家庭内部区域依传统属于女性，公共区域则被视为男性的领地，但维多利亚时期的花园既不完全属于私人空间，不是严格意义上的公共空间，为男女之间的平等交往创造了一方天地。在简·奥斯汀深受读者喜爱的《傲慢与偏见》中，女主角伊丽莎白·班奈特在菲兹威廉·达西外出时到访他的庄园，直到彼时她才意识到自己对这位绅士的真实情感。

漫步于彭伯利庄园，看到花园之美，尤其看到对花园的精心维护，伊丽莎白大为惊讶。达西先生对宅第和花园的这份用心也在一定程度上让伊丽莎白确信，他其实是一个温和而善良的人，值得自己去爱。读这本小说，会让你想去传统英式花园里转一转（也许还希望同达西先生一起在池塘里游个泳）。……