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Literary Styles

The textbook was written by two authors who each had their own way of communicating through their writings. The anonymous translator remarked of them, "De Candolle is distinguished by the subtlety, the flexibility and metaphysical cast of his expression, Sprengel seems to possess a style, occasionally abrupt indeed, but always luminous, condensed, and bearing evident marks of a mind of no common powers." (Translator's Preface, p.xii) As characteristic for its time, the textbook is heavily descriptive of every topic it addresses, with few illustrations. The claims made in the book about the nature of plants are thoroughly substantiated with experimental observations. This set it apart from its forerunners. The authors comment on the work of their contemporaries and predecessors, offering an overview of the field of Botany as it stood then.

The scientific literature of the 1800's moved towards increasing standardization and formalization of style. However, the scope of this literature encompassed pure research, applications of certain research, as well as "popular" science which appealed to interest. Because all these factions of science were included together, the audience of the literature ranged from academics and scholars, to interested members of the public, to those looking to benefit from new scientific applications. The literature was made accessible to these varied audiences by using formal language and vocabulary, but avoiding jargon as much as possible, and explaining it where necessary. This writing convention is reflected in the textbook's language. It rigorously explains any any terms that are deemed essential for the study of Botany, but refers to such terms by their simpler explanations thereafter. In addition, the different factions of science were addressed. There are sections for theory - the "philosophical" parts, as well as sections helpful for plant husbandry which describe plant diseases.</ref></ref>

The authorship of this textbook in 1820 took place during the Romantic Period, the prevailing philosophies of which affected the way science was approached. New theories were open for exploration, as nature and the natural world was elevated in importance. In previous decades any works of Natural Philosophy that did explore such themes sought to relate them to a Divine wisdom. The Romantic scientists, by contrast, understood the Divine presence as pervading and one with nature. Therefore, in their view since God and nature were one and the same , it was acceptable to study the processes of nature without directly referencing Divine action. Influence of this perspective is evident in Elements of the Philosophy of Plants where it presents theories of natural history. It discusses how plants became distributed throughout the world over history, without ever making deistic references.