Perfume on the Page in Nineteenth-Century France
Book description
Despite long-standing assertions that languages, including French and English, cannot sufficiently communicate the experience of smell, much of France's nineteenth-century literature has gained praise for its memorable evocation of odours. As French perfume was industrialized, democratized, cosmeticized, and feminized in the nineteenth century, stories of fragrant scent trails aligned perfume…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked Perfume on the Page in Nineteenth-Century France as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Krueger plunges into a fascinating paradox: nineteenth-century French literature was famous for its evocation of scent, even as the writers, doctors, and scientists of the day fretted over how anyone could describe something as fleeting and unique as an odor.
She bridges the gap with the concept of sillage—the lingering hint of perfume left in the wake of someone who has passed by—which becomes both a literal and literary way of detecting the ephemeral. I particularly like her use of the “male sniff” as an olfactory component of the “male gaze.”
Want books like Perfume on the Page in Nineteenth-Century France?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Perfume on the Page in Nineteenth-Century France.
Browse books like Perfume on the Page in Nineteenth-Century France
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,187
readers submitted
so far, will you?
