Publication
Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2020.
ISBN
9781509536771
Collections
Notes
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Our unique sense of smell
Is science always objective? / A sense of danger, emotions, and delight
2. A Pervasive stench
The foul air of medieval towns / Urban cess pits / The smell of profit / Pollutant trades / Countryside smells
3. Joyous matter
A scholarly culture of scatology / Aromatic blasons / Humour in the conte / The Way to Succeed / Odorous wind /
4.Scent of a woman
Demonising the smell of women / When ladies did not smell of roses / At arm's length / Guilty women / A breath of eroticism / The gutter press / A literary stink / Death and the old woman / Demonic pleasure
5. The Devil's breath
Venomous vapours / Plague-ridden towns / Perfume as armour / Perfumed rituals / Rue, vinegar and tobacco / Pomanders
6. Musky scents
Fountains of youth / Ambergris, musk and civet / The perfumed glove trade / The eroticism of leather / Nothing new under the Sun King? / Drawing death's sting / The great animal slaughter
7. Civilising floral essences
The perfume revolution / Luxuriating in baths of scent / Sensual faces / Bodily hair care / The scent of powder / The emperor's perfumer
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
1. Our unique sense of smell
Is science always objective? / A sense of danger, emotions, and delight
2. A Pervasive stench
The foul air of medieval towns / Urban cess pits / The smell of profit / Pollutant trades / Countryside smells
3. Joyous matter
A scholarly culture of scatology / Aromatic blasons / Humour in the conte / The Way to Succeed / Odorous wind /
4.Scent of a woman
Demonising the smell of women / When ladies did not smell of roses / At arm's length / Guilty women / A breath of eroticism / The gutter press / A literary stink / Death and the old woman / Demonic pleasure
5. The Devil's breath
Venomous vapours / Plague-ridden towns / Perfume as armour / Perfumed rituals / Rue, vinegar and tobacco / Pomanders
6. Musky scents
Fountains of youth / Ambergris, musk and civet / The perfumed glove trade / The eroticism of leather / Nothing new under the Sun King? / Drawing death's sting / The great animal slaughter
7. Civilising floral essences
The perfume revolution / Luxuriating in baths of scent / Sensual faces / Bodily hair care / The scent of powder / The emperor's perfumer
Conclusion
Bibliography