It was a ritual that had
been often associated with wealthy families. It was commonly used as an excuse
for wealthy people to get together and show off their expensive lifestyles,
children were especially dressed for these occasions and they were asked to
stand by the side while the ‘elder’ members of the families had their big tea.
Literary novels written
for children have reiterated the importance of teatime! The famous children’s
novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by
Lewis Carroll has included an
interesting chapter on tea-time called The Madhatters’s Tea party; it is interesting
to note that there is more emphasis on the etiquettes and manners then the tea
itself! Perhaps this is a reflection the 19th century’s obsession
with behaving like the upper class.
The March Hare mentions how 'It wasn't very civil of [Alice] to sit down'. The emphasis on the word 'civil' highlights that it was very important to follow rules of etiquettes.
The March Hare mentions how 'It wasn't very civil of [Alice] to sit down'. The emphasis on the word 'civil' highlights that it was very important to follow rules of etiquettes.
The inclusion of food in tea parties was also added, it combined sandwiches and cakes with Tea, and it meant that tea parties became more and more common! Tea became a centrepiece of these big parties and soon Tea itself became a form of a meal! This was known as (high tea)
In The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, just before tea-time, Bilbo hears
the bell ring, ‘he rushed and put on the
kettle, and put another cup and saucer and an extra cake or two’ to accommodate
his guests with a good meal. The idea of adding a ‘cake or two’ reinforces the
idea of being wealthy as you can afford to provide your guests witch a luxurious
meal but it also highlights that there were etiquettes involved with serving
tea, you had rules to follow and present tea with something to eat!
Sources: Alice’s adventures in wonderland by Lewis
Carroll and The Hobbit by J.R.R.
Tolkien
No comments:
Post a Comment