Beyond the Limits: Smell, Counter/Space, and Subjectivity in Patrick Suskind's Perfume
| Autor: | Li-Wen Lai, 賴麗文 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 98 The role of smell in spatial experience suggests that varying intensities of scents and smell perceptions undulate with one’s emotions stimulated by the nose and are associated with particular things, stories, and situations that all comprise of a sense of space and the character of places. However, the sense of smell for a long time had experienced a rather controversial debate over its importance and its relationship with civilization. In Patrick Suskind’s novel Perfume, I intend to find from the smell perceptions an intrinsic power which, mixed with imagination, animal strength, and insightful delicacy, allows the possibilities of transgression, resistance and infinite openness. My thesis is based on the exclusiveness of smell and its imaginative and revolutionary power to explore the olfactory space/spatiality and its symbolic interrelationship with sociality and the formation of subjectivity in Patrick Suskind’s novel Perfume. I intend to find the power of resistance and reconstruction in Grenouille’s olfactory space/spatiality, and will compare eighteenth century French Revolution to the “smell revolution” as implied in the novel. Smell here is not merely a savaged, inferior sense, but rather an elevated sense which produces revolutionized space, and symbolizes spiritual and cultural breakthrough in the development of human civilization. In the Introduction, literature review will be presented. Not only the spatiality of smell will be mentioned but also the sense of spatiality in the novel’s descreiption itself will be observed. In the first chapter I will examine the development of eighteenth century France both olfactorily and socially. Odours in 18th century France had been entangled with medicine and public sanitation. The historical and social survey provides the thesis with a necessary background information since the study of sensual spaces has to take into account person-environment relationships and the constituents in a given society/culture at a given time. Second, I will provide an overview of all the senses and the sensual spaces, and then relate specifically to its association with the sense of smell and the concept of olfactory space. The properties of the sense of smell and its relationship with space/place are discussed to think about why Patrick Suskind uses the sense of smell, instead of with the sense of sight as we usually do, to describe his story and portray his characters. Here I will draw on the concept of “smellscape” to discuss the durations and intensities of odours in the specific time-space relationship, and to further analyze how Grenouill conforms to or/and revolts against these general olfactory norms. I will trace the philosophical discussions on the sense of smell from both positive and negative perspectives to compare and integrate the constructions and conflicts between different treatments of olfaction and other senses. To explore into the interrelation between Grenouille, smell, and the olfactory space/spatiality, I will relate Grenouille’s olfactory experience to Edward Soja’s idea of “Thirdspace”. Combining with my prior surveys of smellscape and the eighteenth century social setting, I will analyze the novel’s representations of space and spatiality, and read Grenouille as an social “other” who struggles in the norms and opens up the space of openness. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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