Kew Gardens

Most of the story stays fixed on one small flowerbed rather than Kew Gardens in its entirety. By remaining in one specific area, the reader gains an intimate understanding of the multifaceted ecosystem of the overall garden. The narrator describes the conversations of garden-goers with the same level of detail as the minuscule world of the snail. This multi-layered approach communicates the density of life in Kew Gardens. Woolf’s use of imagery and metaphor presents Kew Gardens as a beautiful, lively, and meditative ecosystem.

Woolf wrote “Kew Gardens” in 1919, and the historical context of the story influences its themes and subject matter. Often used as a pastime for the wealthy, botanical gardens were popularized in the 19th century. Kew Gardens was open to everyone and allowed people of different classes to come into close contact with one another. With the rise of densely populated cities at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, citizens of different social strata lived in closer proximity to each other than ever before.