Literary Olfactology (THE POLITICS OF SMELL) with Dr. Ally Louks
Smell and culture. Scent descriptions in novels. Fragrances and class. Stink and stigmas. We cover it all. Scholar, author, and Literary Olfactologist Dr. Ally Louks burst into the zeitgeist in 2024 with her PhD thesis “Olfactory Ethics: The Politics Of Smell In Modern And Contemporary Prose” and we finally got to sit down and talk about the intersection of art and smell and culture. Breathe in the foul, the fragrant, the peppermint, the tobacco, why motel rooms smell the way they do, the forgotten organ that could control your love life, spices at the root of xenophobia, perfume ads that cruised a movement, obscenity trials, explosions, following your first love and getting the last laugh.
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A donation went to UN Crisis Relief’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund
Links to things we discussed:
She posted about her PhD, and went viral in the worst possible way
My research on the politics of smell divided the internet – here’s what it’s actually about
Cambridge Scholar Ally Louks Is the Smell Influencer We Don’t Deserve
A Short History Of Perfume Advertising
Inhalation challenge effects of perfume scent strips in patients with asthma
From Tragedy to Triumph: The Story of Gas Odorization
Ulysses Discussion: Bloom At Stool: A Scatalogical Interlude
Neurobiology of Chemical Communication, Chapter 19, Human Pheromones: Do They Exist?
Grease and Sweat: Race and Smell in EighteenthCentury English Culture
Reflection, Projection, Distortion: The "Eastern Jew" in German-Jewish Culture
Marilyn and N°5 (30" version) – Inside CHANEL
Obscenity trial of Ulysses in The Little Review
The clinical significance of the human vomeronasal organ
Passing Gas: Different Smells and What They Mean
What is thirdhand smoke, and why is it a concern?
The Parent Trap: “Tobacco and Peppermint”
The Foul And The Fragrant : Odor And The French Social Imagination
Fragrance as Class Performance: Scent Signifiers Across Socioeconomic Boundaries – Petite Histoire
History Of Fragrance: Part II - Lore Perfumery
Fragrance | Smithsonian Institution
Marketing to Women: Advertisers Embrace the Career Woman
Books mentioned:
The Foul And The Fragrant : Odor And The French Social Imagination by Alain Corbin
Come Join Our Disease by Sam Byers
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Master of Petersburg by J. M. Coetzee
Fear and Loathing Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
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Transcripts by Aveline Malek
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Theme song by Nick Thorburn