The scent of the Jabberwocky

Vision and sound have traditionally been viewed as being the superior senses within epistemology. I propose that olfaction which is considered to be one of the three subordinate senses can challenge the higher senses and form a strong basis for artistic inquiry. The research explores the problematics of writing, making and picturing the unspeakable, the unutterable and the unnameable Language is regarded as being both ocular-centric and gendered masculine; my research project seeks to test this dominance using scent as the vehicle. However, how can this be achieved when olfaction lacks its own lexicon and relies on the appellations of the other senses for elucidation? There is no universal classification of odour; the fragrance industry has over time developed its own aesthetic and nomenclature but even in this rarefied air of luxury disagreement still remains. By incorporating a brief historical overview of odour classification I intend to establish that there is a blind spot towards olfaction in our increasingly deodorised and digitized Western culture. My research is framed around literary and socio-historical criticism, linguistic analysis and a history of gender in relation to olfaction. In the second and final section of this investigation my focus is on the concept of Nonsense; this is a deliberate device to turn language inside out and upside down in an attempt to circumvent the dominant order and establish olfaction as a valid form of epistemology.