School of Marie B. Svobodová: How did the 19th century cookery bible come into being?
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Perhaps everyone has heard the name of Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, among others the founder of Czech literature on food, cooking and home economics. Her work has been followed by many, but one name stands out among her successors - Marie B. Svobodová.
"Housekeeping is as honourable an occupation as any other, and when it is carried on with complete attention and all the knowledge that goes with it, it has no equal. Is there anything more important than the health, comfort, and contentment of the family?" we read in one of Marie B.'s magazine musings. Another time the author writes: "It is the kitchen that has a great task in human society, for out of it comes prosperity for health and life - and the housewife has a special vocation from God: to be a mediator of this task, and for this, I think, no educated lady need be ashamed."
These, then, are the words of Marie B. Svobodová. Searching for information about the life of this writer, who wrote one of the most popular Czech books on cooking, is no easy task. The author died relatively soon after the publication of her magnum opus - nine years after it was finished - but the book was appreciated, both in professional circles and among ordinary people.
A Christmas gift to the women patriots
We read everywhere that the book 'Cookery School or Thorough Guide to Independent Learning of Cooking and Good Economy', or rather the first part of it, was published in 1894, and the title page also mentions this year. However, the reactions in the contemporary press suggest that the first part of the work must have been on the market before Christmas 1893, as the enthusiastic reviews in December prove (e.g. under the headline "A Christmas and New Year's gift to our patriotic women").
The first volume had 528 pages and was dispatched by František Popelka's printing house in Jaroměř for two gold pieces and sixty kreuzers. It was not a cheap book, but at the same time it was not exorbitantly expensive either. Marie, though was aimed at all classes of people - both housewives and girls from the poorer classes could learn from the work, but she was aware that her target audience would not be the richest.
Oh, the young...
Before publication, the author contacted several respected experts, especially from economic schools, but also popular figures in the field (such as the writer Ludmila Grossmann Brodskaya) and cleverly opened the book with their positive reviews. Readers thus saw that they had an exceptional work in their hands before they even got to the text itself. Unusually well thought out PR for the time!
Moreover, Svoboda was clear about who she was writing for. She could not help lamenting something as old as mankind itself, namely that the young are irresponsible today, they do not stick to anything and are subject to glitzy fashion influences. The girls prefer to learn foreign languages, music, painting and embroidery, which is all very well, but they miss out on the basic practical things they need every day. What's the use of learning a foreign language if I can't take care of my own household, argues Marie, and even more so she's trying to appeal to the younger generation. In later texts, for example, she writes:
"Why are mothers-in-law so legendary? Because, as experienced ones, they can see further to the ends they fear. Truly, many a household would be better off if it had a mother-in-law as a guardian angel in the house." (1900)
Svobodová meets her readers and adapts her style to their perceptions. For her time, she writes in an unusually lively, sometimes even folksy way. She is aware that if the young girls, for whom the book is primarily intended, are to read the voluminous work (the two volumes together run to nearly a thousand pages), they must simply enjoy it. And so Marie does teach and advise, but occasionally lightens her text with a touch of humour. We come across some charming sentences, like this one: "Such behaviour surely betrays a large wart on the brain."
The crown jewel of all cookery books
Where does the story of Cookery School have its roots? It all began in 1876, when Mary B. Svobodová read an article in Hospodářské listy in Chrudim, where the editor lamented the level of practical knowledge of contemporary housewives, stating that it was perhaps not their fault, because they simply had nowhere and nothing to learn from. It was then that Marie thought she could pass on her life experience.
"That is why I have written this Cookery School, which would be a safe handle, a mentor and a teacher for you, dear girls, so that you can learn to understand everything that is needed in the kitchen and then act accordingly."
Originally the author intended to divide the work into three parts, but in the end she stuck to two. The second part was published in 1897 and cost two gold coins, but the author offered them both together, i.e. now as a voluminous book of 929 pages for nearly five gold coins. Marie B. Svobodová published the textbook in her own edition and even in the usual advertisements she states that if girls cannot afford the book, they should approach her in person with confidence and she will discount it for them.
Although one of the main messages throughout the book is thrift, saving, the text makes it clear that earning and selling the book was definitely not the author's priority.
The first volume brought primarily general knowledge and the second one was more specific procedures and recipes. Future housewives learned not only how to cook, but also how to heat efficiently, store food, set the table, learn which dishes to buy and how to wash them properly. There were advice on how to kill and process an animal, because that's what a good housekeeper had to know. From everything, we sense an emphasis on cleanliness.
One of the missions of the book was to encourage healthy and sensible eating, paying careful attention to good nutrition. She doesn't condemn junk food, not even alcohol, and is well aware that one needs to sin a little from time to time, but she always stresses that moderation is the most important thing. She explains everything in a clear, understandable way, so that even a simple girl can take away from the book what the author wants to convey to her. "It is a bad teacher who assumes too much knowledge from his pupils." so goes one of Marie B.'s credos.
The book had an overwhelming response immediately after its first publication. The author has received hundreds of complimentary responses and all the reviews in the press have been without exception positive. They include words like "treasure", "a true gem", "the crown of all cookery books", "even a hundred gold pieces are not enough for this book", "blessed is the girl who gets it in her kit", etc.
Svobodová instantly became a well-known personality and her advice sought after. She began to collaborate with magazines, especially with the fortnightly magazine Česká hospodyně where her texts are published in sequels and where she also answers readers' questions. Far from being just about cooking and housekeeping, she also discusses folk healing and many practical aspects of life on the farm, such as how to treat pigs and cattle. Her texts were also taken up by other papers, including the overseas weekly Americana published by Czech exiles in Chicago.
About the activities of Marie B. Svobodová's activities, but information about her personal life is scarce. We will deal with them in the second part of this article.
