SYNESTHESIA OF NAME AS A POETICAL DEVICE IN PATRICK SÜSKIND’S NOVEL “DAS PARFUM: DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS”

Abstract

The study examines the features of anthropoetonyms as markers of the olfactory world and representatives of the postmodernist poetics in P. Süskind’s novel. The research aim is to interpret poetonyms as dominant tools of synesthetic (primarily olfactory) imagery in the novel “Das Parfum”.
Synesthetic representation motivates the specific semantic content of the poetonyms (essences) and determines the plot development, textual evolution, and the unfolding of the artistic and conceptual framework. A key role in embodying the overall meaning of the work is played by the distinction between extraordinary (Grenouille) and ordinary (other characters) perceptions of scents. The structure of such image-names as Baldini, Mädchen aus der Rue des Marais, etc., includes an olfactory component and / or its evaluation alongside obligatory semes (age, gender, social status). The multifaceted nature of the onyms’ semantic side is based on the synesthetic reproduction of images, tracing back to the positions of the author-narrator (visual code) and Grenouille (olfactory code).
The figure of the protagonist represents an olfactory “vacuum”. It is demonstrated that the filling of Grenouille’s “vacuum” occurs progressively: from belonging to the human race (mastering the scent of “humanity in general”) and acquiring specific types to identifying the individual and creating the image of the Overman. The character transforms into a bizarre mixture of identities (an olfactory palimpsest). The paradigm of the poetonym Jean-Baptiste Grenouille includes lexemes that reflect the character’s self-reflection regarding his olfactory exceptionalism (semes: ‘subhuman’ → ‘ironic divinity’ → ‘Overman’). The novel’s finale signifies the complete annihilation of the character. Grenouille’s non-existence as a personality leads to his physical and semantic “erasure” within the textual space. A comprehensive study of onymic units explicates the meanings that shape the depth of the entire text and ensures its accurate interpretation.