Geruch und Glaube in der Literatur. Selbst und Natur in deutschsprachigen Texten von Brockes bis Handke

Scents of nature are a central motif in German literature. Frank Krause's analyses of texts from the Enlightenment to the present day show that smell is often evoked in a cultic manner to enhance the affective impact of sacred aesthetic experience. This study closes a gap in historical research on literary motifs and explores the underestimated role of cultic smelling in the history of modern olfactory culture.