When food is referred to in literature, it is usually – not surprisingly – because characters are eating it. And when characters don’t eat, it is usually because they have been deprived of food or the food is inedible, as is the case with Jane Eyre at boarding school Continue reading “The Denial of Food”
A Danish Break
A deviation from my journey through food in English literature, but after a recent short break in Copenhagen I felt inspired to try my hand at a bit of Danish baking, and blog about it. So this post is more about moving from the pages of the guidebook – rather than those of literary texts – to the plate. Continue reading “A Danish Break”
The Cooking Protagonist
Charlotte Bronte’s most famous novel Jane Eyre (published 1847), narrates in the first person the journey of the protagonist Jane Eyre to adulthood. Following a miserable childhood, the orphaned Jane finds self-worth through her work as a governess, becomes independently wealthy following the death of a relative and finally – after a few obstacles along the way – marries the man she loves, her former employer, Mr Rochester. Continue reading “The Cooking Protagonist”
The Hungry Child
As we move into the 19th century, novels begin to take more of an interest in childhood. Whilst Jane Austen touches on the childhood of some of her protagonists (Emma Woodhouse, Catherine Morland and Fanny Price), novelists writing slightly later develop the childhood of their protagonists as a key element in their plots. Such writers include Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre (1847), and Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist (1837), David Copperfield (1850) and Great Expectations (1860). Continue reading “The Hungry Child”