[my sincere apologies if this was already discussed on rgr, but I'm newly
resubscribed]

I just finished reading "The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michael Faber
(a great book, in my view), and I wondered (throughout my reading, actually)
whether there was any more significance to the title past the
seemingly-obvious:

Crimson Petal = Fallen Woman
White Petal = Virtuous Woman

It's not that I have any special interest in the "language of flowers,"
except that my very first conversation on Usenet (a decade or so ago) was
with someone in Wellington, New Zealand about the meanings of various
flowers in Victorian society!

Thanks,

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC