SATIRISTS' USE OF 'DINNER PARTY' THEME

• opportunity to show vices, eg. greed, extravagance, vulgarity, meanness, patronising
         guests
     
• relaxed atmosphere encourages conversation in which object(s) of satire reveal
         themselves
    
• alcohol removes inhibitions
     
• theme requires group of people to spend considerable time together in atmosphere of
         giving and taking. Relationship between host/guests and guests/guests can be examined.
    
• opportunity for lavish display of wealth, not only in food but also in decor, dress,
         furniture and fittings, dinner service, slaves etc
    
• host is in spotlight
    
• host and guests make efforts to impress, not always successfully. In own home/on show
         to 'public' -dilemma between formality/informality .
   
• eating can be tricky, messy , embarrassing
    
• cooking and serving gives scope for accidents and mistakes
   
• opportunity for humour and mockery
                                                     

SATIRE: FOOD


HORACE
2,2, OFELLUS: simple food is enough to satisfy hunger
                             gluttony brings discomfort and ill-health
                             cost and appearance are irrelevant to taste and enjoyment
                             provenance of food isn't always known
                             snobbery and greed are obsessed with size
                             changing fashions in food: people are obsessed with novelty
         BUT simple doesn't mean stingy
         BENEFITS good physical and mental health
                             rich food is appreciated as an infrequent treat
                             lavish food is expensive~ money can be better spent
                             better preparation for hard times
          TYPICAL MEAL
                             ham, greens; chicken/kid; raisins, nuts; wine -HOME-PRODUCED
    

• Simple food = symbol of simple lifestyle, healthy and untroubled. Greed and extravagance in food and other aspects of life bring problems and anxieties.
     
• Makes fun of snobbery and foolish fashions.
  
  2,6 HORACE: simple food at his farm: beans, cabbage, bacon (with friends)
  
            TOWN MOUSE
                               fussy, contemptuous of country-diet; sophisticated mouse-about-town
            COUNTRY MOUSE
                               rough but generous, satisfied with simplicity; enjoys city life and food but learns dangers outweigh pleasures.     
• Food closely linked with home/friends/security.

  
  2,7 DAVUS exposes H's hypocrisy over food: only favours simple diet when not invited out; H is as gluttonous as his own 'hangers-on'; 'slavery' to passions (including food) is in the mind even of a freeman.
  

• Food presents a temptation and threatens a life of calm reason. One of the 'pleasures of the flesh' which enslaves men.
  
  2,8 NASIDIENUS' MENU:
                                boar , lettuces, turnips, radishes, skirret, fish-pickle
                                Caecuban/Chian wine (Falernian and Alban also available)
                                fowl, oysters, fish (plaice/turbot )
                                apples, cakes
                                lamprey, prawns in sauce
                                          bread crane, goose liver, hare's wings, blackbirds, pigeons
• 'Dinner party' theme satirises contemporary upstart(s):
• lavish variety and incidents characterise host as pretentious
                                                                                anxious to please gullible
                                                                                nervous, resourceful
    

  PETRONIUS
  
  TRIMALCHIO'S MENU
  

  • olives, dormice, sausages, damsons, pomegranates * , figpeckers * (31 )
  • hare *, fowl, sow's udders (36) +
  • boar with dates and grapes (40) +
  • pork (49) +
  • veal (59) +
  • whole fowls and goose's eggs (65)
  • pastry thrushes * stuffed with raisins~ nuts~ quinces *
  • pork shapes (69) *
  • oysters and scallops (70) +
  • Pretence * : dishes pose as something else ?= T posing as noble host
  • Entertainment +: dishes are pre-arranged stunts by T to amuse and amaze guests
  • Extravagant, larger-than-life quality of dishes = T. Lavishness of meal causes feelings of
            disgust in narrator, as T does. (NB usual meal c.3 courses. All T's courses are
            acceptable in themselves, but combination is excessive. )
  • Satirising practices of Nero's court?
  • Satirising wealthy, vulgar ex-slave(s)
  • Characterising host and guests

    JUVENAL
    5.
    VIRRO' S MENU
    

• 	CLIENT (TREBIUS)	PATRON (VIRRO)
  WINE	rough	vintage
  WATER	inferior; poor service	iced
  BREAD	hard, mouldy	white, fresh
  FISH	1/2 egg; 1 prawn	large crayfish
  OIL	lamp oil	fine
  FISH	eel; pike	mullet, lamprey
  		goose liver
  		capon
  		boar
  		truffles
  MUSHROOMS	toadstools	fine mushrooms
  FRUIT	rotten apple	choice fruits

  
  

  • Characterises Virro as wealthy but mean, greedy and selfish;
  • Satirises whole class of patrons: whole patron-client system is degrading to client
  • Food is only one of humiliations inflicted on client (service,crockery, no opportunity to speak) and symbol of ill-treatment.
  • Criticism of client for welcoming humiliating invitations which destroy his pride ( cf. Horace 2, 7 -but H is not destitute and M doesn't humiliate him
  • Here the host is dominant and vindictive, guest is figure of contempt. In H and P the hosts N and T are objects of contempt to the guests, but do have redeeming qualities.