Sex, Botany, and Empire: The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks

by Patricia Fara and patricia-fara

Book Overview

Enlightenment botany was replete with sexual symbolism--to the extent that many botanical textbooks were widely considered pornographic. Carl Linnaeus's controversial new system for classifying plants based on their sexual characteristics, as well as his use of language resonating with erotic allusions, provoked intense public debate over the morality of botanical study. And the renowned Tahitian exploits of Joseph Banks--whose trousers were reportedly...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231134266
• ISBN13: 9780231134262
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.6" x 7.3"