'notorious' characters explored in the four IOP texts

All the novels feature ‘notorious’ characters. Is it positive or negative? Explain for each character.

Notorious in our opinion is used to describe someone who is ill-famed and known widely and usually unfavourably. The person described usually has unfavourable connotations attached to them. They are also known for bad conduct or disgrace.

In 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker, our group agreed that Sassoon can be identified as a 'notorious' character because he rebels against the government through his written declaration. He is portrayed unfavourably in the governments' eyes and is ill-famed to some extent. Through his insurgent poems, he gained popularity amongst his fellow fascists, thus proving him to be viewed also as 'notorious' in a positive way.

Another character which can be portrayed as 'notorious' is the infamous Dr. Yealland who gained his reputation of notoriety throughout the hospital due to his horrific treatment methods in which he inflicts on his patients thus making him 'notorious' in the eyes of his patients.

In 'Perfume' by Patrick Süskind, the protagonist, Grenouille, murders young, attractive virgins to obtain their exotic scent. However, he is only established as a 'notorious' person at the end of the novel as he was finally convicted of his murders then. Before that, he managed to keep a low profile, through his undetected scent and so was able to keep his murders hidden from the public. Grenouille's secret identity as a murderer classifies him as a 'notorious' character amongst the readers even before he was uncovered in the public eyes for his crimes. His notoriety is seen as negative before and after the discovery of his actions.

In 'Alias Grace' by Margeret Atwood, Grace Marks, the protagonist is depicted as a 'notorious' character through her reputation for killing. In the novel, she is labeled as a "celebrated murderess" (page 25). Her notoriety is inflated through her responses during her trials. She is a cunning and clever woman, and is deemed 'notorious' by choosing to keep her deeper thoughts hidden from the authorities.

- Anahita, Lillian, Mai & Yung

The Balance of Empathy and Revulsion

Do we have a balance of empathy and revulsion for each of the protagonists?
How is this feeling created by the writers?

Grenouille (Perfume):
In Perfume there is an imbalance of revulsion and empathy experienced towards the protagonist, Grenouille. However, there is a greater revulsion felt as the novel is written in first person, where the reader is exposed to all the protagonists thoughts and views. Grenouille is portrayed as more of a creature than a human, where his thoughts show little emotion and a rather detached nature. Not only this but to inflict harm apon another appears to give him pleasure amoung all other emotions and a drive to continue to murder and cause pain to others. Grenouilles talent of smell is also portrayed in such a manner as to suggest that it is partly revulsion and partly empathy as it displays his inhumman side which lacks emotion and a gifted side which ultimatly brings out the human in him, a gift which most humans envy. However, Grenouille also appeals to the readers empathy as he shares qualities and experiences that many others have been exposed to. These include mistreatment from a young age, being an orphan and his general position of loniness. Another quality of Grenouilles that people envy is his ability to make his own way, creating his own success without relying on others to do so for him. The empathy shown towards Grenouille is portrayed through the colloquial languge and the first person in which the novel is written as it creates a greater understanding of the protagonist in the simple yet affective language used but this language also exposes Grenouille in asense to to the simple use of the language.

Rivers (Regeneration):
In Regeneration, there is an imbalance in which emypathy is greater than the revulsion felt towards the protagonist, Rivers. This is portrayed through the other characters and how they appear to rely on Rivers as a 'father figure' in which he guides and assits them. Not only this but the context in which the novel is written in first person offers many different points of views of the other characters while the reader is able to enter their thoughts. Furthermore, the fact that Rivers has to deal with mentally affected soldiers of war is a traumatising occupation, one which requires alot of logical and restrained thinking on the doctor's be half. Not only this but his indepth undertanding of people and his morals and points on the suffering of man due to war also offers the reader an oppotunity to empathise with him. However, the fact that his method used to treat his patients is still an experiment appeals to the revulsion of the reader as it is as if he is experimenting on people which in affect then questions River's morals.


Ned Kelly (The True History of the Kelly Gang):
The reader feels empathy for Ned Kelly because of his problems with family and the way he is treated throughout his life by the people who should be looked up to, for example, his father. Ned has a strong sense of justice and strives to maintain this using his good morals. This makes the reader like the character so feel more inclined to understand him. Empathy is created in the True History of the Kelly Gang by the colloquial language used throughout the novel, making the reader feel familiar with the character. The flowing, unpunctuated language resembles the process of thought, making the reader feel he or she is inside Ned's mind. This closeness makes the reader feel as if he or she is intimately connected with the protagonist, causing feeling of empathy. Ned is an outlaw and this may cause revulsion if it were not for his reasoning behind breaking all the laws he does, which the reader empathises with. The treatment of him by the authorities shows that they are revolted by him and also his lack of status and education. However, this is not mirrored by the reader because of the negative way in which the officials are portrayed in the novel. Therefore, Ned Kelly brings about more empathy than revulsion, the unbalance shown in the way the reader has connected with him.

Grace Marks (Alias Grace):
Grace is portrayed as a a good person through the way she reacts to her difficult circumstances and all the friends that she makes. She works hard for her family and for herself and so empathy is created strongly in the novel. The writer tells Grace's story through her point of view, in first person, which allows the reader to her her thoughts and feelings. This lets the reader understand her actions because she justifies them in a completely human way. The reader trusts she is not guilty of murder throughout most of the novel simply because he or she knows her story and empathises with the hard times that she goes through, as he or she feels as if they experienced the events together with Grace. The protagonist is arrested for murder which causes revulsion in the characters around her. These characters all seem to change her mind as they cannot resist her good demeanor. The appearance of her split personality does generate some revulsion because this is not considered normal or possibly human, especially in those times. The other characters, however are perfectly happy to believe that Grace is possessed by a spirit because of their own spiritual beliefs. There is a question to as whether or not she is acting about he split personality and this would mean that she was lying about her story the whole time, or else still does not remember if she committed the murder or not. If it is the former then a strong sense of revulsion would be created as the reader feels betrayed, but this is only potential because it is never explained fully. Therefore, as it stands, there is a greater amount of empathy than revulsion in the novel.

Julia, Frances, Ruben

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille

You would be hard pressed to find an endearing quality in Jean Baptiste Grenouille, the protagonist of the novel Perfume. While reading Perfume I was repulsed by the character of Grenouille - I could not relate to him in any way. However, Grenouille's thought processes and his actions were so interesting that I couldn't bring myself to stop reading. Of course, Suskind's skill with words contributed to my enjoyment of the novel.

At the beginning of the novel I neither liked nor disliked Grenouille. In fact, on some level, I felt pity towards him. He was born on a heap of of fish guts and garbage, completely abandoned by his birth mother. From the beginning, Grenouille really had no control over his life and was shuttled from one carer to another, and none of them had any particular liking for him. As if this wasn't enough, he was born without a scent - completely singling him out from the rest of humankind.

However, at the point where Grenouille acquires his journeyman's papers from Baldini and journeys into the mountains I began to dislike him. Once he had found his little cave and bunkered down for seven years, his true character came out. (Well, I already disliked him after he murdered the first girl, but disliked him even more later) His "orgies" of self-worship that he held within "his heart" were repulsive. His imitation of the biblical Creation was such a flagrant power trip that I began to truly despise him.

Perfume - Grenouille

The main character of the book is written about as if the author despises him and perhaps rightly so. However, Grenouille is so fascinating that the reader cannot help but be drawn to him.
Apart from his incredible sense of smell he has an uncanny ability to survive. Against all odds, Grenouille lives. The source of this life seems to come from pure will for when he experiences failure and loses hope, his life also starts to dwindle. This suggests that Grenouille is hardly a human being, but merely infallible will encased in the husk of one.
He rejects the human world, only using it to help him progress with his goals, and at one point fully withdraws into himself. He has no need for company as the only love he has is for himself and no other. He has no need for a god to worship because he is god enough on his own. This extreme vanity makes him both more despicable and more interesting.
In addition, everyone Grenouille makes contact with seems to end in one horrible way or another. If he was never alive, these people may just have survived for longer or else died happily. His unconcern with others does not reduce his effect on them.
The reader is led to view Grenouille as a sort of mythical creature with the power of immortality and incredible sense of smell with a complete apathy for all of humanity.