Exploring the Role of Food in Gothic Literature

Abstract

This article investigates the significance of food consumption within the context of Gothic literature, shedding light on how seemingly mundane food and drink items are reinterpreted from a cultural memory perspective within this genre. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, food in Gothic literature reveals that true danger often lurks within the home. Cultural memory functions as a spectral conduit, conveying messages from the past to serve present purposes. Beginning with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), the way in which food humanises Dr Frankenstein’s unnatural creation, prompts readers to question the true nature of monstrosity. The creature’s diet of nuts and berries, eschewing meat, challenges conventional notions of sustenance and appetite, offering early insights into the impact of industrialisation on food production during the nineteenth century. In Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre (1847), food symbolises strength, weakness and oppression, as evidenced by scenes involving burnt porridge and acts of quiet rebellion through cake. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897), meals initially serve as a source of comfort and familiarity for Jonathan Harker before they simply turn into fuel to combat the Count. Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (1938) uses food to underscore social hierarchies and power dynamics. This article presents a theoretical framework for food studies within the context of Gothic literature, exploring the cultural memory aspects associated with consumption in classic Gothic fiction.