Exploring the Role of Food in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Abstract

First published in 1961, Muriel Spark’s novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is one of the
most well-known works of 20th-century British literature, and the book’s portrayal of the
eponymous Edinburgh schoolmistress and her select clique of pupils during the turbulent 1930s
now forms part of contemporary popular culture. After presenting a quick panorama of the
author and the work, this article adopts a bipartite approach to describe the role of food at
different junctures in the narrative. Initially, it focuses on the types of foods presented and the
occasions where they are served (for example, as high teas), thereby seeking to outline whether
any wider literary symbolism can be detected. Subsequently, the article examines the unusual
role of food and foodstuffs in Miss Brodie’s romantic relationship with Mr Lowther, the school’s
music teacher, a liaison which is ostensibly centred around her focus on him consuming large
quantities of food in order to gain weight. These two sets of food-related observations are then
interpreted, analysed, and summarised before further suggestions for additional research on the
topic are outlined.