Paris à table : 1846
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Contributors
Bertall, 1820-1882, illustrator.
Published
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, c2018.
Status
Westover - Adult Nonfiction
944.361 BRIFF
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
Westover - Adult Nonfiction944.361 BRIFFAvailable

Description

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Published
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, c2018.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
lix, 211 pages ; 22 cm
Language
English

Notes

General Note
Translated from the French.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Description
"Described by Le Monde as "the richest view of Balzac's time seen from the table," Paris à Table: 1846 is an essential text in the history of gastronomy, along with Brillat-Savarin's The Physiology of Taste and Dumas's Dictionary of Cuisine. Its author, Eugène Briffault, was well-known in his day as a theater critic and chronicler of contemporary Paris, but also as a bon-vivant, celebrated for his ability to quaff a bell jar full of champagne in a single draft and well-qualified to write authoritatively about the culinary culture of Paris. Focusing on the manners and customs of the dining scene, Briffault takes readers from the opulence of a meal at the Rothschilds' through every social stratum down to the student on the Left Bank and the laborer eating on the streets. He surveys the restaurants of the previous generation and his own-from the most elegant to the lowest dive-along with the eating habits of the bourgeoisie, the importance and variety of banquets, the institutional meal, and even the plight of "people who do not dine," artists and intellectuals who fell on hungry times. He records the specialties, the décor, the patrons, and the restaurateurs and their waiters. A fine storyteller, Briffault collected culinary anecdotes, from the tantrums of a king deprived of his spinach to the tragedy of "the friendliest pig that was ever seen." The volume includes the humorous drawings of the caricaturist Bertall that cleverly reinforce the witty and ironic tone of the text. With an introduction by J. Weintraub, who provides the first modern biography of the author and analyzes the place of Paris à Table in the literary culture of the time, the text features copious annotations about the events and characters that appear in the narrative. Paris à Table provides a delightful and delectable entryway to Briffault's Paris, the city Walter Benjamin characterized as "the capital of the nineteenth century."--,Provided by publisher.
Description
"Paris à Table: 1846 is the first English translation of a seminal book in the literature of nineteenth-century gastronomy, a work described by Le Monde as "the richest view of Balzac's time seen from the table." It was written by the journalist Eugène Briffault, well-known in his day as a theater critic and chronicler of contemporary Paris, but also as a bon-vivant, celebrated for his ability to quaff a magnum of champagne from a bell jar in a single draft and well-qualified to write authoritatively about the culinary culture of Paris. Focusing on the manners, customs, and "moeurs" of the dining scene, the author takes the reader from the opulence of a dinner at the Rothschilds through every social stratum down to the laborer eating on the streets. He surveys the restaurants of the previous generation and his own-from the most elegant to the lowest dive-along with the eating habits of the bourgeoisie, the importance and variety of banquets, the institutional meal, and even the plight of "people who do not dine." Briffault was also a fine storyteller, and the book is a compendium of culinary anecdotes, from the tantrums of a king deprived of his spinach to the tragedy of "the friendliest pig that was ever seen." The edition also includes the humorous drawings of the caricaturist Bertall, artwork that cleverly reinforces the witty and ironic tone that pervades the text. Along with an introduction -which provides the first modern biography of the author and analyses the place of Paris à Table in the literary culture of the time--the text is copiously annotated, acquainting readers with the events and characters that appear in the narrative and providing an entryway to the author's Paris, the city Walter Benjamin characterized as "the capital of the nineteenth century.""--,Provided by publisher.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Briffault, E., & Bertall, 1. (2018). Paris à table: 1846 . Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Briffault, Eugène, 1799-1854 and 1820-1882, Bertall. 2018. Paris à Table: 1846. Oxford University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Briffault, Eugène, 1799-1854 and 1820-1882, Bertall. Paris à Table: 1846 Oxford University Press, 2018.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Briffault, Eugène, and Bertall. Paris à Table: 1846 Oxford University Press, 2018.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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