Continuing the series of writing exercises inspired by Susan Breen’s The Fiction Class, today we are moving on to character. For more information on the book and this series of posts, please check out the original book review here.

Character: Think of a person from history who intrigues you. Napoleon? Cleopatra? Martin Luther King? Write a two- to three-page description of that person eating a meal. What would s/he eat? How would s/he eat? What would s/he be thinking about as s/he ate? Would someone be sharing the meal with him or her? What would they talk about?

Dinner with Louis XIV

We (the Royal We) are the Sun King. Our dinner table is an incredibly decadent place, full of multi-course meals, elaborate place settings, a slew of guests ranging from courtesans to royal family members, political advisers to heads of other nation-states – although none, of course, as great and powerful as France. We serve only the best because we are the best. Our table features only the finest fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, breads and pastries, soups and consommés, and course after course of dessert – all arranged and decorated to suit our royal tastes. And our royal whims.

Gilded spun-sugar cages hold baby birds – pheasants, duck, capons, and chicken, as well as slightly more unusual birds like sparrows or larks – cooked in their entirety and presented to look like they were still alive. We enjoy artfully presented food. Soups are creamy, rich, hearty bisques or clear broths made of meat or fish. Our breads and pastries are the finest in all of France, made to perfection so that they melt in the mouth. And our desserts, well, our desserts are second to none. Mile-high confections of sugar, whipped cream, and custard, presented plate after plate until we are full.
Continue reading Homework Assignment Two: Character