Sep 7, 2008

Babette’s Feast | Style

Biblical Allusion
Biblically well-read, Dinesen applies her knowledge of Scripture in “Babette’s Feast” to underscore the strong religious overtones of Martine and Philippa’s home they share with Babette. Throughout the story, subtle biblical allusions are introduced without reference, giving them the natural context of everyday thought that they have in the hearts of the sisters and the congregation. In describing the sisters’ beauty in their youth, Dinesen explains that they caught the eyes of the men in the congregation. She writes that the older men “had been prizing...