The subject of this dissertation can be summed up in six words, “Just like mamma
used to make.” In short, this creative writing dissertation is about food, specifically
how food is used as a literary tool to connect and disconnect within fiction. Inside the
three short stories I have written, food plays a key role in the relationships and the
emotional drives of each of my characters: be it a drunk father coming home hungry, a
young man avoiding talking to his uncle at Christmas, or a retired banker vying to get
his old job back.
In my critical essay, I explain the ways different writers have used food in order
to connect their characters to one another, and to the reader. From this I argue the
importance of food in literature, and describe the reasons why it has such a profound
effect on our emotions through its close connection to our senses.