Erotica: The Fragrant Orgia

    Published in 1985, Perfume by Patrick Süskind depicts a soul-riveting story of eroticism. The atypical displeasures present in the text question the existence of a universal paradigm, in turn pushing the limitations of pleasure itself. To familiarise with the protagonist Jean-Baptise Grenouille, readers must first unearth the core themes of suffering and devotion through the olfactory experience. In this paper, I will analyse the flamboyant lexicon and the symbolical setting of the final chapters to uncover the protagonist’s attitude towards the noisome spectacle. 

    In the text, the construction of suffering stems from a lexicon of dissatisfaction. The protagonist murders the purest of woman, or shall I say “collects” their appealing scent to attain a stimulating olfactory experience. Once found guilty, Grenouille coats himself with an abundant perfume capable of seducing the masses prior to his hanging. Rather than experiencing relief, he describes his survival to be a “miracle” of “savage hatred.” Sarcasm permeates the text as the narrator labels Grenouille as “innocence personified,” later attributing him to traditionally feminine titles such as: little, innocent, liquifiable, angelic and perfect. The masses sink to positions customary before a “sultan” or “Allah,” yet Grenouille is unable to find pleasure in the ecstasy of the “free rein to the urges.” Süskind uses Grenouille to represent femininity, while the people perceive him as a masculine ideal, hence representing the importance of harmonization throughout a sexual experience. Furthermore, the text critiques the taboos attributed to sex in Christian environments, arguing an “Enlightenment” occurred once Grenouille “touched [the] erotic core” of the people. An orgia unleashes for “Prometheus,” igniting a celebration of “straddling flesh” and “quivering fingers” as “members frozen stiff” penetrate socially inappropriate partners. This feast of sex is immediately contrasted by Grenouille’s cynical lexicon and the unleashing of hatred for “the orgy in his honour.” Only when Grenouille dies does he finally reflect a crumb of gratitude: “[the people] had done something out of Love.” The search for freedom terminated once the ideal scent – the perfect sensual endeavour – resulted in suffering, rather than bliss. 

    The final setting of Perfume represents devotion and the paradoxical nature the protagonist. A depiction of idealized freedom is advanced by the religious image of St Andrew’s cross, and the aristocratic dress given to Grenouille in preparation for the hanging. As aforementioned, the acts of fidelity are results of the perfect perfume, capable of sparking a pseudo-sensation of lust and obsession. Amid the resulting orgia, the father of the latest victim presented himself as a devotee of Grenouille: “He could find no other footing in a sea of bliss.” The peculiar description of “an angel storming down” aligns with the exhausted position of the Catholic Church throughout the 18th century, as it desperately pleaded for individuals to return to faith. The internal dialogue of Grenouille cements terror amidst the acts of love, to the extent of revealing suicidal temptations in the aftermath of the event. As the moon rose overhead, he wishes to “reveal himself as the new Messiah” at the graveyard late in the night, paralleling the crucifixion of Christ. The narrator describes a noisome stench consuming the olfactory senses, shrivelling up the receptors and painting a Parisian market identical to the setting of the opening chapter; “a garbage dump of death.” At night “all sorts of riffraff” wanderers regroup at a graveyard, a place of fruitless worship for those long gone. The life of Grenouille was consumed by attaining boundless pleasure capable of executing tangible love, and yet the endeavour only proved redundant. The savage death of Grenouille argues that devotion results in suffering, and his murder – the ultimate release – replaced the ego with the id. 

LINK TO TEXT

NOTE

Perfume is a collection of emotions. This assignment targets the erotic subject of the text, and yet in the case of Perfume, avoiding the core themes of disgust would be impossible. I define erotica and eros as passionate desire resulting in pleasure that evokes a similar sentiment in the reader. Though sex is never tagged onto Grenouille himself, the sentiment he bears to the perfume and those devoting themselves in his name, falls into my definition of erotica.