Perfume
Having read Perfume and exploring Grenouille's world of sent has made me become more aware of scent as a whole and how it effects our daily lives. We rely on scent to help us survive, similar to Grenoulille although most of the time we do not realise it. We rely on scent to help us find food, helping us avoid rotten/unhealthy food and to warn us of danger such as fire. Grenoulille too relied purely on scent to protect him from danger, as in the novel; Grenouille smells the cave first, before entering, checking if there was any threat, and his scent helped him avoid human contact on his journey to the cave.
The book also evoked the thought of how the scents Grenouille experienced must differ from the scents we experience today, in the modern world. The smells that he encountered would have been more honest, less complicated and pure. Where they were made by hand and great care and love was used to produce a fine product, like Grenoulille who bought out the very essence of the perfume. Where as our sents today connect with technology and an ever advancing human race. They are made by machine without the tender touch of a hand, therefore seeming to miss the love and care which added to their beauty in the past.
As a whole I enjoyed the entire book, the story line was completely different and one does not often get novels that appeal to the sences as mush as this one. The style of Suskind's writting is interesting, the way he describes Baldini's shop and Paris made me feel as if I were in the novel with Grenouille experiencing what he was experiencing. Suskind not only appeals to the olfactory sence but to the visual, aural and tactile sences as well. This is demonstrated in the cave which includes both visual and tactile sences, as one could picture the complete darkness and loneliness of the setting. Not only this but the moist, cold, hard feeling of a cave and the animal it turned Grenouille into. This was all developed well by Suskind's writting, which again made me believe I was there in the novel with Grenoulille.
Overall it was a brilliant read, one that I could not put down. I was a little annoyed at times when Suskind seemed to babble on slightly about Baldini's shop for example. Although I see now that the descriptions are what made the novel and helpe us understand Grenoulille alittle more. Suskind was allowing us to see the world from Grenoullie's point of view and the world's view of Grenoulille. This effected us as the readers, appealing to our senses, imaginations and allowing us to enter a world purely consisting of scent.
3 comments:
Frances, your post refers to some interesting points with regards to style. Open question: If you had to define the genre of the novel - how might you classify this one?
The use of sensory imagery makes it most vivid. Note to all: don't forget to refer to literary devices in a sophisticated way. There is visual, aural, olfactory, tactile and gustatory imagery. You really need to be using these and other literary terms all the time.
Frances, there are a few grammatical errors that need to be edited, thanks.
interesting thoughts :) although scents in the days when this novel was set, in early 18th century i believe were much more important than they are today. A sent would represent a fellow person, such as when Baldini dreams of creating a scent for the King, and that scent would be recognised all over the land. If worn, perfume could highten their levels of class, as it was quite a expensive item to wear. Now days perfume is accessible by the whole public making it much less of a "posh" item. This affects in which genre the novel would of been written, for in the modern world i would not fit the same.
I would classify Perfume as a realistic fiction novel. This is as the book is set in France, eighteenth century. Refering to a time in the past which actually occured, the smells, way of living and the war. Where as Grenoulille and his actions define the fictional category of the novel. As it unrealistic for a human, with his gifts to be born into this world of ours, where magic only exists in fairytales. Not only this but the style and detail of writting described so much more than the real eighteenth century could have entailed.
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