Dodona's Grove

Dendrologia: Dodona's Grove, or the Vocal Forest was a poem by James Howell published in 1640,^[1] which launched Howell's literary career. It was published in English in multiple editions and was translated into French^[2] and Latin.^[3]

Title page of the first edition of Dodona's Grove (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Description

Dodona's Grove is an allegory of Europe, particularly England, depicting events between 1603 and 1640.^[3] Dodona, in the title, refers to the ancient Hellenic oracle of Zeus in Epirus.^[4]

Covered in the poem are the Spanish match, the Gunpowder Plot, the murder of Thomas Overbury, and the assassination of Buckingham.^[5] The political criticisms in Dodona's Grove may have contributed to Howell's imprisonment in 1643.^[3]

In the poem, plants represent prominent persons.^[6] The British oak tree in Dodona's Grove represents the Stuarts.^[7]

Impact

Historian Henry Hallam criticized the work harshly, calling it "clumsy", "unintelligible", "dull", and "an entire failure".^[8] Despite its shortcomings, it is speculated to have been an influence on James Harrington's The Commonwealth of Oceana.^[2] Bibliographer Albrecht von Haller was tricked into including Dodona's Grove in his Bibliotheca Botanica.^[1]