Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy “I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink.” (CR 62) The use of food and drink in Ian Fleming’s Bond novels as a means of characterization in a dichotomous structure Supervisor: Dr. Kate Macdonald Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of “Master in de Taal- en Letterkunde: Nederlands-Engels” by Liesbeth Dejonghe May 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank a few people for giving me advice and help. First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. Kate Macdonald for her guidance and for rereading and correcting my dissertation. I have learned a lot from her tips and remarks and she helped me fix my ‘horrible jumble’. Furthermore, I would like to thank Jonas Vandroemme for correcting my dissertation and helping me structure it. He supported me a great deal and without him it would have been a far more difficult task. 1 ABBREVIATIONS CS Casino Royale LLD Live and Let Die MR Moonraker (to distinguish between Moonraker and Bond’s superior M) DAF Diamonds Are Forever FRWL From Russia With Love DN Doctor No G Goldfinger FYEO For Your Eyes Only T Thunderball SWLM The Spy Who Loved Me OHMSS On Her Majesty’s Secret Service YOLT You Only Live Twice MWGG The Man With The Golden Gun O Octopussy and The Living Daylights 2 CONTENTS Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................................................................... 0 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Contents .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Part One: Ian Fleming .................................................................................................................................................. 8 A. Ian Fleming ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Life ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 2. Tastes .......................................................................................................................................................... 10 B. James Bond ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 1. Life ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 2. Tastes .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 C. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Part Two: The British Spy Novel ............................................................................................................................. 16 A. Theoretical Frame .......................................................................................................................................... 16 1. The History of the Genre ........................................................................................................................ 16 2. Characteristics of the Genre .................................................................................................................... 18 2.1. The Dichotomous Structure .......................................................................................................... 19 2.2. Six Stages ........................................................................................................................................... 22 2.3. Roles and Characters ....................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.1. The Secret Agent or Subject ................................................................................................. 23 2.3.2. The Superior or Sender .......................................................................................................... 25 2.3.3. The Helpers ............................................................................................................................. 26 2.3.4. The Adversary or Opponent ................................................................................................ 28 B. Application...................................................................................................................................................... 31 1. The Dichotomous Structure ................................................................................................................... 31 2. Roles and Characters ................................................................................................................................ 33 2.1. The Secret agent or Subject ............................................................................................................ 33 2.2. The Superior or Sender ................................................................................................................... 38 2.3. Helpers ............................................................................................................................................... 40 2.3.1. Male Helpers ............................................................................................................................ 40 2.3.2. Female Helpers ....................................................................................................................... 46 2.4. Adversary or Opponent .................................................................................................................. 52 C. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 56 Part Three: Food Culture ........................................................................................................................................... 58 A. Theoretical Frame .......................................................................................................................................... 58 1. The Theoretical Field ............................................................................................................................... 58 3 2. Food and identity: Luxury Foods to Establish Status ......................................................................... 60 2.1. Definition .......................................................................................................................................... 60 2.2. Quantity vs Quality .......................................................................................................................... 61 2.3. Social Significance ............................................................................................................................ 62 B. Application...................................................................................................................................................... 64 1. Food and Identity: Luxury Foods to Establish Status ........................................................................ 64 1.1. Definition .......................................................................................................................................... 64 1.2. Quantity vs Quality .......................................................................................................................... 69 1.3. Social Significance ............................................................................................................................ 70 C. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 72 General Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................... 73 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................. 75 Primary sources ....................................................................................................................................................... 75 Secondary sources ................................................................................................................................................... 75 4 INTRODUCTION 2008 marked the 100th year after Ian Fleming’s birth and various events and exhibitions have taken place to celebrate this creator of one of the most famous fictional spies in the world, James Bond, 007. The highlights of this celebration were the new Bond novel Devil May Care, written by Sebastian Faulks and a major exhibition