Grapes in European and Russian Language of Flowers (the 18th –19th centuries)

Abstract

The article focuses on grapes as an element of the language of flowers, the 18th–19th century cultural phenomenon. Grapes belong to the ancient “core” of the language of flowers. It is considered a polysemantic word or a short sentence. Its use is typical for all European languages of flowers, including Russian. Grapes are often found in fiction. The epithet influences the contextual meaning of grapes. The most common colours are red and yellow, while green is much less used. Red colour enhances the meanings “fun”, “feast”, “carnal pleasures”. Yellow is associated with parental happiness, homeland, friendship, immaculate youth. Green appears in the contexts “trying to hide frustration”, “lack of skill”. The first group of meanings includes “feast”, “joy”, “pleasure”, “carnal love”. The second group of meanings is associated with the field of intellectual activity: “true knowledge”, “narrow-mindedness”. The latter meaning comes from the Russian folklore. Grapes can symbolise poetry and inspiration, and peaceful rural life as well. Since this plant accompanies ancient gods and goddesses, depicted in human form, grapes are used in comparisons that reveal the peculiarities of heroes and heroines' characters.