Discussion: The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Social Imagination

Author: Alain Corbin

Description: Alain Corbin’s The Foul and the Fragrant: Odor and the French Society examines the role of smell in shaping French social and cultural life. Focusing on the 18th and 19th centuries, Corbin explores how odors, both pleasant and unpleasant, influenced hygiene practices, class distinctions, and moral perceptions. He discusses the connection between scents and social status, with the aristocracy associating themselves with refined perfumes while the lower classes were often linked to unpleasant smells. Corbin’s work also explores the development of modern attitudes toward cleanliness and the regulation of public odor, providing a fascinating cultural history of the senses.

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