Wining and Dining with Alexander Pope

The poet Alexander Pope was proud of his independence and of his social relations. Both a symbol and an embodiment of his beliefs, his villa and garden in Twickenham were built with the profits of his pen and provided a space where he could entertain his friends. His five-acre garden furnished much of the food that was served at his table; the local area provided much of the rest. His determination to consume locally produced food also attests to his belief in moderation. In his poetry, he scorned both the greedy gourmet whose body becomes ‘A Tomb of boil’d, and roast, and flesh, and fish’ and the parsimony of the miser who dines on roots soused in vinegary wine. His friends present a more complex picture of Pope’s wining and dining.

This talk will compare the image Pope presents of the values associated with consumption and hospitality in his poetry with what research reveals about what it was really like to dine with Alexander Pope.

Judith Hawley is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature in the Department of English, Royal Holloway, University of London and frequently appears on BBC radio and TV. She is a Trustee of the Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust. Her research interests range from gin to Grub street and she has a particular interest in the history of the amateur performance.