Friday, December 9, 2011

Friday Round-Up - #185


Hilary Melton-Butcher, at Positive Letters, wrote a fascinating post on scents. Since we're to incorporate all the senses into our writing, I thought this would add to our knowledge.

Even if you're not a writer, it's fun to consider this aspect of life in historical times.

Writers: Do you research what type of perfumes were available during your story's timeframe? How do you go about it?
Readers: How important is the sense of smell when you're reading a book? If you can think of something specific, please share.

Have a blessed weekend!



8 comments:

Diane said...

Scent is probably the one thing I don't think about, but is all around us. Good reminder. HUGS :O)

Karen Lange said...

Hilary's post was a good one, very interesting. I don't think much about scents while reading a book, but since you mention it, some are probably more scent friendly than others! Will have to pay closer attention.
Happy weekend,
Karen

Sarah Forgrave said...

I write contemporary stories, so the scents are a little easier. I never thought about that aspect for historicals. Fascinating!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Diane - Did you know that scent affects your ability to taste food? Just think about when you have a cold (like I do now). Everything tastes different.

Hi Karen - One historical had the heroine putting a hankie to her nose to block out unpleasant odors.

Hi Sarah - Historicals present a different set of problems. They didn't have all the deodorizers we have today. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. many thanks for linking across - I enjoyed the brief notes I made - but perhaps the fragrance of the scene is something that's not often set ... if it's a kitchen, then that's quite easy to do.

I saw Joan of Arc a 1924 film which I posted about http://positiveletters.blogspot.com/2010/05/silent-pianist-speaks.html
- it's a silent movie .. which was accompanied by a very clever pianist ... worth reading for that aspect ...

but back to the film .. I could smell the smoking tallow, the earthy hay, and the odours of the Inquisition personages .. I felt as though I was there back in the 1400s ..

Fascinating effect from a silent movie ...

Thanks for this Susan .. Have a good weekend .. Hilary

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Thanks for stopping by, Hilary, and for your informative posts.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Jean Fischer said...

I hadn't thought much about scents in literature until I dug deep into Dickens' works for a project I was working on. When he painted word pictures, especially about London cities, he often added scent as another layer to help readers imagine the setting.

Interesting post, as always.

Blessings!
Jean

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jean -

I haven't read Dickens in ages. This post made me more aware of scent in literature.

Blessings,
Susan :)