THE POETICS OF PATRICK SÜSKIND’S WORKS: SENSORY AESTHETICS, GROTESQUE REALISM, AND NARRATIVE DETACHMENT
Keywords:
Patrick Süskind, poetics, sensory narratology, grotesque realism, existentialism, postmodern prose, stylistic analysisAbstract
This study examines the poetics of Patrick Süskind’s literary works through an integrated stylistic, narratological, and philosophical framework. While Süskind is globally recognized for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, his broader poetic system remains insufficiently theorized. This article analyzes Perfume, The Pigeon, and The Double Bass to identify recurring structural and aesthetic principles. The research argues that Süskind’s poetics are constructed upon five interrelated foundations: sensory hyperrealism, grotesque aesthetics, existential isolation, ironic narrative detachment, and minimalist dramaturgy. The study further demonstrates that Süskind destabilizes traditional hierarchies of perception by privileging olfactory cognition, thereby redefining narrative realism. His prose synthesizes elements of Romantic genius mythology, existential alienation, and postmodern irony, creating a distinctive literary paradigm. The findings contribute to contemporary discussions on sensory narratology and the philosophical dimensions of postmodern fiction
References
1. Adorno, T. W. (1997). Aesthetic theory (R. Hullot-Kentor, Trans.). University of Minnesota Press.
2. Bakhtin, M. M. (1984). Rabelais and his world (H. Iswolsky, Trans.). Indiana University Press.
3. Barthes, R. (1977). Image, music, text (S. Heath, Trans.). Hill and Wang.
4. Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation (S. F. Glaser, Trans.). University of Michigan Press.
5. Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations (H. Arendt, Ed.; H. Zohn, Trans.). Schocken 5. Books.
6. Camus, A. (1955). The myth of Sisyphus (J. O’Brien, Trans.). Vintage Books.
7. Eco, U. (1989). The open work (A. Cancogni, Trans.). Harvard University Press.
8. Genette, G. (1980). Narrative discourse: An essay in method (J. E. Lewin, Trans.). Cornell University Press.
9. Hutcheon, L. (1988). A poetics of postmodernism: History, theory, fiction. Routledge.
10. Iser, W. (1978). The act of reading: A theory of aesthetic response. Johns Hopkins University Press.
11. Kayser, W. (1981). The grotesque in art and literature. McGraw-Hill.
12. Kundera, M. (1986). The art of the novel. Grove Press.
13. Nietzsche, F. (1967). The birth of tragedy (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). Vintage Books.
14. Sartre, J.-P. (1956). Being and nothingness (H. E. Barnes, Trans.). Philosophical Library.
15. Süskind, P. (1985). Perfume: The story of a murderer (J. E. Woods, Trans.). Alfred A. Knopf.
16. Süskind, P. (1987). The pigeon (J. E. Woods, Trans.). Alfred A. Knopf.
17. Süskind, P. (1981). The double bass (J. E. Woods, Trans.). Grove Press.
18. Wellek, R., & Warren, A. (1956). Theory of literature. Harcourt Brace.
