Research project
The Poetics of Olfaction in Early Modernity (POEM)
What does it mean to perceive smell? This question fascinated poets and playwrights of the early modern period (ca. 1500–1700): their work abounds in references to and evocations of smell sensation and of specific scents. POEM maps the ways in which early modern writers put the language of smell – or olfaction – to literary use. We call this the ‘poetics of olfaction’: how and to what ends did they evoke smell sensations? What meanings did they attach to smell and smells? How did the elusive nature of olfaction help authors to explore complex concepts?
- Duration
- 2023 - 2027
- Contact
- Jan van Dijkhuizen
What does it mean to perceive smell? This question fascinated poets and playwrights of the early modern period (ca. 1500–1700): their work abounds in references to and evocations of smell sensation and of specific scents. Poem will map the richly variegated ways in which early modern writers put the language of smell – or olfaction – to literary use.
We refer to this as the ‘poetics of olfaction’: how and to what ends did they evoke smell sensations? What meanings did they attach to olfaction, and to individual scents and smells? What themes and concepts did smell enable authors to explore? Our main geographical focus is on early modern England and the Dutch Republic as illuminating case studies for the poetics of olfaction in early modern literature.
Poem is the first project to offer a systematic analysis of smell vocabulary in early modern literature. It offers fresh insights into both early modern literature and the cultural history of smell more broadly: for early modern writers, olfaction offered a crucial vehicle for reflecting on the world, and on the place of human beings in it. Drawing on current philosophical and neuroscientific insights into the nature of smell, we ask how early modern writers put the specific physiological and phenomenological affordances of smell perception to literary use. Poem also combines close, qualitative readings of source materials with digital ‘distant reading’ methods that allow us to efficiently analyse a wide and diverse range of texts.
Project Output
We are currently working on a volume of essays on the language of smell in early modern literature which will be published as part of Brill’s Intersections series. This volume is based on our project conference (see below). Jan and Inger are working on a monograph that introduces readers to the theoretical and methodological principles of analysing the language of olfaction in works of literature from the medieval period to the present day, while Kerrewin is preparing articles on olfaction and early modern metapoetics, olfaction and rumor, and discussion of smell in seventeenth-century philosophy.
Lees je neus achterna (Reading On the Nose)
In addition to academic output, we are also developing a lesson series for secondary schools on the language of smell in Dutch literature. For this project, we work together with language teachers at the Erasmus Gymnasium Rotterdam, creative writers, and scent designers. The idea behind Lees je neus achterna is that smell connects literary texts with students’ own everyday world, and with their own sensory experiences, while simultaneously offering a starting point for analytical reading. Exploring the language of smell in literature will therefore enable them to experience why reading literature is exciting and worthwhile. Lees je neus achterna includes creative writing exercises centred around smell, aimed at stimulating students in a playful manner to develop their Dutch language skills.
Project Conference
In January 2026, the POEM project conference took place at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave. Speakers included smell philosopher and neuroscientist Benjamin Young (University of Nevada), historian Will Tullet (University of York), scent artist Tasha Marks, and literary scholars Manon Raffard (University of Manchester) and Sophie Read (University of Cambridge). The full programme, including abstract and speaker bios can be found here.