Babette's Feast

“Babette’s Feast” (1958) is one of the best-known short stories by Danish author Karen Blixen. It was included in her 1958 anthology of short stories, Anecdotes of Destiny, which was published under her pseudonym, Isak Dinesen. Blixen is best known for her literary explorations of spiritual themes and the contradictions of human nature. Both “Babette’s Feast” and Blixen’s memoir Out of Africa (1937) were adapted into Academy Award–winning films.

“Babette’s Feast” focuses on themes of physical and spiritual nourishment, religious devotion, and artistic achievement. The story follows two religious sisters whose lives and community are altered forever when their French refugee maid, Babette, wins a lottery and uses her winnings to prepare a sumptuous French feast for her ascetic mistresses and their congregation. By showing the transformative effects of Babette’s culinary artistry on the dinner guests, Blixen demonstrates the importance of both spiritual piousness and earthly passion in  letting go of regret and living happily. The story also explores what it means to be an artist in a world that often doesn’t appreciate an artist’s—particularly a woman’s—talents, and when one has no opportunity to demonstrate their talent.

This guide refers to the version of “Babette’s Feast” published as a standalone story by Reading Essentials for Amazon Kindle on April 16, 2019.

The story is told in 12 parts by an omniscient narrator as a series of flashbacks that take place in the Norwegian town of Berlevaag located in the mountains near a fjord of the same name. Part 1, “Two Ladies of Berlevaag,” opens in 1893. Martine and Philippa, two sisters in their fifties, live in a yellow house that is the focal point of the neighborhood. Their father, the Dean, was a Puritan minister and “the founder of a pious ecclesiastic party or sect” that had “renounced the pleasures of this world” (4).

All throughout their lives, the two women have been admired by the community for their modesty and religious dedication. The Dean passed away long ago, and his congregation has dwindled. They are old now, and instead of appointing another leader, they gather at the sisters’ home—the former home of the Dean—to read scriptures. Petty, long-held arguments among the Brothers and Sisters threaten the communal spirit, but they carry on for the Dean’s sake and because they love Martine and Philippa.

The sisters have an elderly French maid named Babette. This is highly unusual in Berlevaag, especially because the sisters have a very modest lifestyle and devote most of their income to charity. The locals see their employment of Babette as a sign of their charity because she came to them as a French refugee 12 years prior. The narrator hints that the “true reason” for this unusual dynamic is more complicated and mysterious.

Part 2, “Martine’s Lover,” takes place in 1854, when Martine is 18 and Philippa is 17. They are beautiful, with “almost supernatural fairness” (5), and Philippa has an especially lovely singing voice, which she displays in church. Many local men are interested in the girls, but the Dean has decided they will accompany him in his spiritual work and devote themselves to God. Therefore, they do not even think about courtship or marriage.

That year, a worldly young lieutenant named Lorens Loewenhielm comes to visit his aunt in Fossum, a town near Berlevaag. While traveling through Berlevaag, he sees Martine and is struck by her beauty. He suddenly thinks about pursuing a more upright life; his father sent him to the countryside because he had run up gambling debt, and he sees Martine as a “golden-haired angel” (5) who will help him change his ways.

He visits the Dean’s home with his aunt, but whenever he tries to speak to Martine, he is tongue-tied. When the Dean uses the term “kiss” metaphorically in a sermon, Loewenhielm imagines kissing Martine and feels ashamed. He becomes increasingly disgusted with himself as he compares himself to her, and after several visits, he can only wish her farewell “forever” (5), instead of declaring his love as he intended. Eventually, Loewenhielm returns to his garrison and tries to forget about Martine; he feels that fate is keeping them apart. He resolves to be like those around him and advance to the highest levels of society in Prussia. Back in Berlevaag, Philippa sometimes mentions Loewenhielm to Martine, but Martine always delicately changes the subject.

Part 3, “Philippa’s Lover,” takes place the following year. A famous Parisian singer named Achilles Papin, 40, is performing in Stockholm and comes to Berlevaag to gain inspiration from the Norwegian countryside. One day, he hears Philippa sing in church and has a spiritual experience. He comes to know the Dean and asks him for permission to instruct Philippa in honing her singing talents. The Dean hesitates because Papin is Roman Catholic, but he eventually agrees, and Papin begins Philippa’s lessons. During their lessons, Papin he tells Philippa that with her voice, she will rise to great heights. Philippa keeps his ideas for her future success a secret from her father and sister. However, Papin spoils everything when, overwhelmed by emotion as they’re practicing Don Giovanni by Mozart, he impulsively kisses her as his character would have kissed hers. Perturbed by this turn of events, Philippa asks her father to tell Papin that she doesn’t want any more lessons. Distraught and disappointed, Papin sails back to France, blaming his loss of Philippa on his artistry and getting caught up in the story of the music. Martine suspects that something may have happened between him and Philippa, but the narrator notes Martine’s inability to guess that Philippa was startled less by Papin’s behavior than by her own reaction to it. The sisters lack the facility to discuss such intimate matters.

Part 4, “A Letter from Paris,” takes place in 1871, 15 years after Papin leaves Berlevaag. On a stormy night, a frightened older woman appears on the sisters’ doorstep. She carries a letter written by Papin that describes how the woman, Madame Babette Hersant, escaped from France after her husband and son were shot during the French civil war. She was a pétroleuse—a female arsonist—with the Communards. He begs the sisters to take her in as a maid, adding that she can cook. Toward the end of the letter, he tells Philippa that he now knows fame is meaningless and that he will hear her sing before God in heaven, where she will be “the great artist that God meant [her] to be” (14).

The sisters take Babette in, although they can’t pay her. Babette says she will work for free and will die if they send her away.

Part 5, “Still Life,” describes Babette’s acclimation to life in Norway. She quickly learns how to make the simple meals the sisters prefer and endears herself to them and their community. Despite not speaking much Norwegian, she gets good deals by haggling with the sellers in the market and runs an admirably thrifty household. Babette has a silent intensity that at times worries the sisters; they are bothered by the fact that she is a Roman Catholic and was a revolutionary, but they decide that leading by example is better than trying to lecture her in French, a language they barely speak.

Babette does not talk much about her past and tells the sisters that her ending up with them was fate. She mentions that she has a French lottery ticket that a friend in Paris renews for her every year. The grand prize is 10,000 francs. When the sisters hear this, they worry that Babette will leave them and return to her revolutionary ways.

Part 6, “Babette’s Good Luck,” takes place when Babette has been in Norway for 12 years. December 15 marks what would be the Dean’s 100th birthday, or “anniversary,” and the sisters have been looking forward to celebrating by hosting a simple meal for the congregation. However, they are dismayed that the personal conflicts among the Brothers and Sisters have intensified, and arguments spring up about incidents that happened 40 or 50 years ago. The sisters cannot settle these disputes and worry that the celebration will have to be postponed.

That summer, Babette learns that she has won 10,000 francs in the French lottery. The sisters are stunned and fear that she will leave them, inhibiting their ability to care for others in the community as well. To their surprise, Babette begs them to allow her to finance and prepare a sumptuous, authentically French meal for the Dean’s 100th anniversary. The sisters are afraid, considering their ascetic lifestyle and their ignorance of French cuisine, which they imagine to be somewhat grotesque. Finally, they agree to the feast out of respect and love for Babette.

Part 7, “The Turtle,” describes Babette’s preparation for the feast. That November, Babette imports food—including a massive turtle—wine, table settings, and linens from France. The sisters are upset about the turtle and all the other strange ingredients, and they express these feelings to their neighbors. Their neighbors, who still respect and admire the sisters, vow to eat the food and make no negative comments about it, regardless of whatever strange dishes they encounter. Meanwhile, Babette takes on a mysterious authority as wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of goods are brought to the house.

Part 8, “The Hymn,” describes the lead-up to the dinner. In addition to members of the Berlevaag community, Old Mrs. Loewenhielm from Fossum is invited. Her nephew, a now much older Lorens Loewenhielm, is visiting again, and he decides to accompany her to the feast. He is a general now, and in all worldly respects, a success. Despite this, he still feels unfulfilled and believes that the meal in Berlevaag will be a turning point in his life.

There are 12 guests in total, and when the Brothers and Sisters arrive, they find the sisters’ house modestly decorated and an impressively set table. Nervous, the congregation joins hands and sings a hymn to give them courage. The last guests to arrive are the Loewenhielms, whose sledge barely makes it through the deep snow.

Part 9, “General Loewenhielm,” switches to Loewenhielm’s point of view. He is wistful when he arrives in Berlevaag, thinking about his younger self. He achieved all his ambitions: He has a high position in the Prussian court, a brilliant career, and a wonderful wife, but he still feels unfulfilled. Lately, he has realized that worldly achievements mean nothing, and spiritual fulfillment is all that matters. In his youth, Loewenhielm rejected his family’s mysticism (they believed in “second sight” or clairvoyance), but now, he wishes he could see the future to know if he’s made the right choices. He recalls a time in Paris when he dined at a famous restaurant with a beautiful noblewoman. For a moment, he thought she was Martine. He vows that tonight, he will make eloquent conversation at the Dean’s house as he was unable to do 30 years ago.

Part 10, “Babette’s Dinner,” begins the feast. In the candlelit dining room, Loewenhielm notes that Martine is still beautiful and serene after 30 years. A member of the congregation says grace, and the guests solemnly begin their meal. A servant boy pours wine, and Loewenhielm is shocked that the wine is so good. As he eats, he is increasingly astonished by the quality and artistry of the food. He remarks on them to his neighbors, but having resolved not to comment on the meal at all, they act as if such delicacies as turtle soup, “Blinis Demidoff” (33), and “Cailles en Sarcophage” (35)—all previously unknown in Berlevaag—are nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, Loewenhielm realizes that these dishes, particularly the Cailles en Sarcophage, are the signatures of the renowned chef who used to serve at the Café Anglais, the famous restaurant in Paris where he dined before the Paris Commune uprising in 1871. It was rumored that the chef was a woman. Meanwhile, the Brothers and Sisters have begun to relax. Instead of eating in silence, they reminisce about the Dean and tell stories of the past. The boy serves champagne (Veuve Cliquot 1860), and the spirit livens even more.

In Part 11, “General Loewenhielm’s Speech,” Loewenhielm makes a speech about the infinite quality of grace and the futility of regret over past choices. While the Brothers and Sisters don’t completely comprehend what he’s saying, they, too, feel divinely inspired after their meal. Some of them spontaneously reconcile the quarrels they had held onto for decades. They depart full of laughter, playing in the snow like children.

As Loewenhielm is leaving, he speaks with Martine again for the first time since they were young. He tells her that he has “been with her every day of his life” and that he will continue to be with her, “if not in the flesh, which means nothing, in spirit, which is all” (39). She agrees, and he departs the sisters’ house with his aunt.

The sisters remark on the stars and the snow before going back inside and finding Babette. The next day, the snow is so high that the people cannot open their doors.

Part 12, “The Great Artist,” describes the dinner’s aftermath. Babette is sitting in the kitchen, visibly exhausted. The sisters remember that no one complimented her on the dinner, and they tell her the food was very good. (Martine does not realize the turtle was in the soup.) Babette reveals that she was a chef at the Café Anglais. The sisters expect her to return to Paris, but she says that the wealthy people who appreciated her as the great chef are no longer in Paris; besides, she has spent all her lottery winnings on that night’s feast.

The sisters are shocked that Babette spent all that money on them, but she says she did it because she is a great artist and wanted to practice her art. When they remark that she will always be poor, she replies, “A great artist, Mesdames, is never poor. We have something, […] of which other people know nothing” (43).

At this, Martine falls silent, but Philippa asks Babette why she misses the royalty who dined at the Café Anglais since they were the class against which the Communards fought. Babette explains that those same people were brought up to understand why she is a great artist, and she will miss making them happy with her talents.

Babette reflects that Papin felt the same way: “Through all the world there goes one cry from the heart of the artist: Give me leave to do my utmost!” (44). At this, Philippa embraces Babette and reassures her that her exile in Berlevaag is not the end of her artistry. She tells her that she will be a great artist when she reaches heaven. “Ah, how you will enchant the angels!” she says, quoting Papin’s letter to her from many years ago (45).