The Dinner Party

I'm in the finishing stages of writing my book on 500+ remarkable but unrecognized women which led me to thinking how much I would love to talk to many of them.

Then I thought...what if I had a dinner party with well known women, whom would I invite. Here's my list.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: She's fascinated me for decades. What a thrill it was to stand at her tomb in Fontevraud Abbey. She was married to two kings and mother of two kings. Her daughters became countesses or queens. Besides being a political force, she was a lover of the arts and woman not limited by her time. 

Katherine Hepburn: One of my favorite movie lines is when Hepburn played Eleanor in Lion in Winter. I would seat the two women together and I'm sure Eleanor would tell Katherine where she did it right and wrong.

Mary Queen of Scots: Maybe we could speak French together, although hers would be a far earlier version. I suspect my husband would want me to ask her some golfing questions since she was one of the early players of the game. 

I've been in the room where one of her lovers was killed, stood on the spot where she received her crown in Stirling, seen a snippet of the dress she wore for her beheading and a bit of her hair.

Elizabeth I, Queen of England: Should she and Mary be placed side by side or at opposite ends of the table? They never met in real life but remained "loving" cousins and deadly enemies. What a conversation that would be.

Emily Dickinson: Her poems touched me like no other. They take on different meanings with each rereading. A friend lives near where she lived in Massachusetts and sends me information about activities around the poet. One of her poems about death, I often send to someone recently bereaved. I hope they have found the same comfort in it, that I did. I suspect, she would be quiet during the dinner, listening rather than speaking. Maybe I could ask her to stay after the meal and talk to her one on one. 

Eleanor Roosevelt: A woman of depth. I would like to probe her knowledge of America during her lifetime. I came from a family who hated her, but as I read more about her, I grew to admire her intelligence and strength. Would that we have more of her type of women today.

Margaret Mead: A late friend was her daughter's anthropology student and shared so many of her mother's teachings, which my friend passed onto me. That made me look at the world and people in a different light. Her books and articles always made me rethink what I thought I knew.

Judy Chicago: She is the only living person at dinner and I include because she did her own dinner party (see photo above). 

What would I serve? 

I would ask Thibault, the Chef at Bartaveille in Argelès-sur-mer, France, to provide whatever meal requested by each of the attendees from his restaurant menu. His food is perfection. We would be able to cater to the tastes of each of my guests. Would Elizabeth 1 wish there was swan on the menu? Would Emily want New England Baked beans?

Thibault's wife, Stephanie, would describe the food in detail which might create a lull in the conversation which could be a good thing if there are some moments of tension.

The Setting

The table would be set with fine linen, dishes and glasses and would be lit by many candles.

Clothing

What would they wear? Would the early queens love the comfort of sweats and jeans? Or would they prefer their court clothes? Margaret Mead, who considered clothes cultural coding, might opt for what she wore for her field work.

Music

I would like soft music in the background, perhaps having a flute player with melodies from Eleanor of Aquitaine's court. 

Poetry

Perhaps Emily might read us one or two of her poems. I know Eleanor of Aquitaine would like that. 

Pictures of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party would be passed around. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth 1 and Emily Dickinson have plates. Emily would blush when she learned that. The queens, I suspect, might think that was proper for their positions when they were alive.

I've turned off my phone. I hope Judy Chicago would do the same. It would be too easy to have the conversation about each woman's time interrupted by a buzz.

Although I didn't want to get into the technology of today versus that of their times, I suspect giving their curiosities would want them to hear all about it. 

Maybe the queens would be interested in armaments having promoted different battles in their names. Eleanor Roosevelt would be seeking peace and would be upset at the chaos in 2023. She might have solutions, but even if she did the powers in control would reject them. Human behavior does not evolve, she might say.

Margaret Mead would have learned that my phone had a recording device and borrowed it for an article she would want to write.

The fork came into English usage after Elizabeth I's death in 1603. Margaret showed those who were not alive when they were common, how to use them. The women laughed and decided the fork had advantages over fingers.

None of this is possible, of course. However, pretending is fun, even if it postponed the writing of my book or maybe because it did.