Literary notes about Scent (AI summary)
The word "scent" in literature carries a rich, multifaceted symbolism that ranges from sensory delight to an indicator of pursuit or hidden danger. In some works, it evokes the natural beauty of an environment, eliciting a sense of nostalgia or pleasure as in the gentle aroma of orange groves and apple orchards ([1]) and the sweet fragrance of blossoms that seems to erase sorrow ([2]). In other narratives, it functions as a tactile clue or motif for a trail—be it the instinctual chase of a bloodhound ([3]) or the intellectual thrill of following a trail to its source ([4]). Moreover, authors employ the concept of scent to heighten mood and tension, whether it be the deliberate manipulation of a trail to mislead others ([5]) or the ominous hint of blood and danger in battle ([6]). Thus, "scent" becomes both a sensorial detail and a metaphor for deeper, often hidden implications within the narrative.
- She heard the song of the birds, and smelt the scent of the orange groves and apple orchards so strongly that she seemed to taste it.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - It had such a sweet scent that one instantly forgot all sorrow and grief when one smelt it.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - He bent his head and reflected like a blood-hound who puts his nose to the ground to make sure that he is on the right scent.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - You know the feeling, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, when you come upon the right scent—a kind of thrill in your nerves.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - “You see,” she explained to Jane, “if they think we’re going to Sir James, this will put them off the scent.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - When Khara felt each deadened power Yielding beneath that murderous shower, He charged, infuriate with the scent Of blood, in dire bewilderment.
— from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki
