"finding food for a rambling fancy:" gastronomic gentility and symbolism in jane...

“Finding Food for a rambling

Fancy:”

Katherine Hysmith

MLA Candidate, Gastronomy Program

Boston University

Gastronomic Gentility

and Symbolism in Jane

Austen’s Texts

Cassandra Austen’s portrait of Jane, 1804

Mapping Jane Austen’s

Foodscape

David Bennett, Jane Austen Map, 2012

Steventon (1775 – 1800)

Figure from Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters, A Family Record, William Austen-Leigh

Bath (1800 – 1809)

Map of 18th c. Bath, www.janeaustensworld.wordpress.com

The “Comforts of Bath”

by Thomas Rowlandson (1798)

Chawton (1809 – 1817)

Chawton Cottage, Katherine Hysmith, 2008

Kitchen Garden

Chawton Cottage, Katherine Hysmith, 2008

Godmersham Park (modern day Chawton House Library)

Godmersham Park, Katherine Hysmith, 2010

Jane Austen’s Literary

Foodscape

Separating “gentry” from

“non-gentry”:• Food

• Drink (particularly alcoholic

beverages)

• Food-related actions

Pineapples &

the pinery

Gold Pineapple, Etsy.com; Pinery plans, Loudon’s An Encyclopedia of Gardening; pineapple botany, http://cms.cnr.edu.bt

Blue Milk“a mixture of motes floating in thin blue”

18th c. Milkmaid, www.janeaustensworld.wordpress.com

Alcoholic Allusions

A Midnight Modern Conversation by William Hogarth, 18th century

London Pub, Allen West, 1796; Elder Wine Stand in Holborne in Winter, by George

Scharff, 1842

Rum,

the “plebian drink”

Pusser’s Navy Rum, www.examiner.com;

sailors drinking, www.telegraph.co.uk; British

Grog, The British Library, n.d.

Food-Related

Actions

Pastry making,

www.photos1.blogger.com

Charitable GivingStill from film version of Emma, 2010

“present of game”

Mrs. Elton,

strawberry snobStill from film version of Emma, 2010

“Hautboy” CultivarStrawberry botany, http://delta-intkey.com/angio/

Regency Husbandry

Workhouse, www.austenonly.wordpress.com

Pemberley“no place for which nature had done

more”

Pemberley, www.austenauthors.net

The “ha-ha”an uninterrupted view

Ha-ha drawing, www.pemberley.com

How to be a gentleman farmer:

• falsified aesthetic

• natural seeming

• aggressive landscaping

• appear as if not in control

Thomas Coke Inspecting Sheep, Thomas Weaver, n.d.

Mr. Darcy’s fruit selection

“variety of all

the finest fruits

in season”

• grapes

• nectarines

• peaches

The Regency dessert course, www.janeausten.co.uk

closer literary and

gastronomic analysis

Photo by Katherine Hysmith, 2012

Thank you.

Katherine Hysmith

kchysmith@gmail.com

www.youngaustinian.com

@youngaustinian

MLA Candidate, Gastronomy Program

Boston University