Books That Cook: Food & Fiction

Like stories, food can connect us to other people and their experiences in remarkable ways. Much of our lives revolve around the meals we eat, and our culinary senses of taste and smell are potent triggers of the past. This strong, sensory connection between eating and evocation can be used in fiction to conjure a host of emotions in the audience.

In the 10 lectures of Books That Cook: Food & Fiction, Professor Jennifer Cognard-Black takes you on a culinary tour of fiction, from Proust’s evocative madeleine and the voracious hunger of fairy tales to the intersection of recipes with storytelling and the emotional consumption of food on film. These lessons look at how food can be so much more than mere set dressing in a great story. Along the way, you will explore fascinating questions, such as:

• How is a recipe like a story?
• What are we really consuming when we read or watch stories about food?
• How does food help us connect with other people - and better understand ourselves?
• What are the political dimensions of food?

With Professor Cognard-Black as your guide, you will sample some tasty tales, sink your teeth into novels featuring cooks and chefs, enjoy food fairy tales, become a culinary tourist, and learn how food can serve up social justice, create visual feasts, and even change how we think.