Erica Reisenwitz

Transcendence Through Taste: the Relationship of the Preparation and Sharing of Meals to the Perfection of Human Nature As Evidenced by Literature Erica Reisenwitz

Drawing different people with unique tastes into relationships with one another, the dinner table acts as an anchor for the human community. While we may not consciously realize the forces at work while attending a dinner ourselves, examining the retelling of the shared human experience with meals and meal preparation allow us to analyze more objectively the multi-faceted meanings behind the event. Virginia Woolf's novel, To the Lighthouse, Isak Dinesen's short story Babette's Feast, and Frances Osbourne's biography Lilla's Feast explore the unique human transformation present as their heroine hostesses go beyond simply feeding to cater to their guests. Although three very different narratives, the works share the same heart as their presentation of grandiose meals, creative spirit, mystical energy, and ultimate human transcendence express the unique power each hostess has to create warmth in even the coldest of homes. Through reflection on the communal culinary experience, as presented to us in ready-to- analyze literature, can we truly find food for the soul?