The Feasts of Autolycus

“Gluttony is ranked with the deadly sins”; Elizabeth Robins Pennell would rather see it honoured among the cardinal virtues—and she has a lively case to make.

In these late-nineteenth-century culinary essays, Pennell takes aim at the idea that a woman should deny her appetite, arguing that eating well is an art, not a guilty indulgence. A carefully composed meal, she declares, can bring pleasure, beauty, lively conversation—and even harmony between husband and wife. Her spirited manifesto leads to the table, where a perfect breakfast begins with excellent coffee, crisp rolls and sweet butter, enjoyed, ideally, alone. What other delights might a discerning appetite bring to the business of living?

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