The Phenomenology of Smells in the Novel “Du Plus Loin de L’oubli” by P. Modiano

Abstract. The article explores the phenomenology of smells in the novel “Du plus loin de l’oubli” (1995) by Patrick Modiano. We consider the poetics of smells as an important structural element of Modiano’s novel, as well as the specific functions that smells are endowed with. Consistently referring to the “smell of hotels”, the smell of Indian hemp and the smell of ether, we come to the conclusion that the olfactory impressions give a subjective modality to the Modiano’s novel. It gives us a detailed recording of the perception of the events by the main character; the hero’s memories aren’t only a story about places, but also a story about smells. On the other hand, smells perform a symbolic function: they are assigned to a certain space and period of life of the main characters, expressing the key moods associated with a particular stage of personal history. The smell of ether, which constructs the love narrative in the novel, seems to be the most interesting: the ether, associated in the mind of the main character with his beloved Jacqueline, becomes both a marker of the dynamics of love experiences and an individual symbol of love in general. In addition, the smell of ether and the experience of love appear as an existential guide through which the hero determines his future life. While analyzing, we note the similarities and differences in the concept of memory of Modiano with the existentialist ideas of J.-P. Sartre, as well as M. Proust’s attention to sensations.

Keywords: Modiano, smells, space, existential project, memory, phenomenology, Proust, Sartre.