The Blue Flower — Inside the Classic

A Frame of Waiting and Seeking

The preface establishes a deliberate pace: Van Dyke notes that 'patient waiting belongs to it; and rainy days belong to it.' This ethos shapes the collection's structure. Each story presents a protagonist in a state of anticipation or quest—whether the Magus Artaban awaiting a sign, or others whose desires are 'for something afar.' The opening epigraph from Shelley ('The desire of the moth for the star') sets a tone of longing that recurs across the tales. Van Dyke explicitly contrasts two methods of unifying a story collection: staying in one place with varied themes, or moving through different places under a single thought. He chooses the latter, making geography and historical variety central to the book's architecture.

Light, Fire, and the Blue Flower

Recurring images of light and fire appear prominently. In the excerpt from 'The Other Wise Man,' the Magi's chamber is described as 'like a quiet, starry night, all azure and silver, flushed in the east with rosy promise of the dawn.' Fire is a symbol of purity and divine truth: 'We worship not the fire, but Him of whom it is the chosen symbol.' The blue flower itself—the title image—is not directly described in the excerpts, but the preface hints at a central symbol that 'will live with a man while he works, and take new forms from year to year.' The reader can expect this motif to appear in varied guises across the stories, linking them visually and thematically.

Movement Across Time and Place

The collection moves 'into different places' and 'times old and new.' The excerpt from 'The Other Wise Man' is set in ancient Persia, with characters like Artaban, Tigranes, and Abgarus discussing Zoroastrian prophecy and the stars. This contrasts sharply with other stories that likely shift to modern or medieval settings. Van Dyke's preface promises 'glimpses of this idea, traces of this search' in tales from 'lands near and far away.' The reader should watch for shifts in tone and setting—from the ritualistic dialogue of the Magi to more intimate or contemporary scenes—as each story refracts the central quest through a different cultural lens.

Dialogue as a Vehicle for Inquiry

The excerpt reveals a preference for philosophical dialogue. Artaban challenges the older Magi's acceptance of endless waiting: 'if the waiting must be endless, if there could be no fulfilment of it, then it would not be wisdom to look and wait.' This exchange introduces a tension between passive expectation and active seeking that likely drives the narrative. Van Dyke uses conversation to advance the theme without relying on extensive action. The structure of the collection may mirror this—each story could be seen as a dialogue between a seeker and his circumstances, with the 'blue flower' as the elusive object of desire. Readers attuned to the interplay of voices will find the book's meaning in these exchanges.

Van Dyke's collection rewards a patient reader. The preface warns that 'the right word has not always been easy to find,' and the stories themselves may feel fragmentary—'little, broken chapters from the long story of life.' Approach each tale as a variation on a theme, noting how setting, symbol, and dialogue shape the search for inward happiness. The blue flower is not a fixed emblem but a recurring question.