The Problematic Theme of Crime in Patrick Suskind's Novel
                          The Problematic Theme 
                 of Crime in Patrick Suskind's Novel 
                  Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
                       Assist. Lecturer. Naila Yasser Salah
                  Al-Esraa University College- English Dept. Baghdad / Iraq
                               Nailayasser99@gmail.com
               دنيكسوس ”يرتاب ةياور يف ةميرجلا ةيلاكشb ƒوضوم
                                  ◊تاق ةصق Uر�ع
                                حلاص رساي ةلئان .م .م
                           ةيزيلكنلاا ةغللا مسق /هعماجلا ءارسلاا ةيلك
                                      قارعلا / دادغب
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               Al-Esraa University College Journal for Social and Art Science Vol.)1(, No.)0(-2019
           Abstract
                This study deals with Suskind's novel Perfume: The Story of a Murder-
             . It was written in 1985. The genre of the novel is historical fiction and the 
           er
           scope is thriller story. The first thrill in the novel is the title and the subtitle 
           Perfume, The Story of a Murderer. Both the title and the subtitle do not 
           make sense, there is no connection in meaning between the two words per-
           fume and a murderer.  The juxtaposition between Perfume and Murderer 
           evokes readers to read the novel. The second thrill is that the novel is about 
           the main character Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who has an exceptional sense of 
           smell. He becomes so thirsty with human beings scent, especially when he 
           discovers that he has no smell. He passes through a crisis of identity. After 
           that he finds the red hair girl who holds a beautiful scent that he has never 
           smelled before. Therefore, he finds his path in life; he wants to create an 
           amazing perfume that will provide him with identity. Also, he wants to be the 
           best perfumer ever. That leads him to kill twenty five virgins to extract their 
           fragrances. The novel presents an idea of what happens and what men can 
           do only to satisfy their passion and ambition, even if it costs them to murder 
           the sweet innocent virgins.
           Keywords: The Age of Enlightenment, Perfume, Odor, Srial killer, Virgins, 
                      and Identity.
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                                    The Problematic Theme of Crime in Patrick Suskind's Novel
                                                         صلختسملا
                      ُ
          .1985 ماع يف تبتك دقو .لتاق ةصق :رطع دنيكسوس ةياور ةساردلا هذه لوانتت
          ةياورلا يف ةراثإ لوأ .ةراثإ ةصق وه قاطنلاو يخيراتلا لايخلا وه ةياورلا نم عونلا اذه
          نلاكشي لا يعرفلا ناونعلاو ناونعلا نم لك .لتاق ةصق ، رطعلل يعرفلا ناونعلاو ناونعلا يه
          ثحي لتاقو رطعلا نيب رواجتلا .لتاقو رطعلا نيتملكلا نيب طابترا يأ دجوي لا ، اقطنم
           ةيسيئرلا ةيصخشلا لوح رودت ةياورلا نأ يه ةيناثلا ةراثﻹا .ةياورلا ةءارق ىلع ئراقلا
                                       َ
          ةحئارل ادج شطعتم حبصا يذلا .هيئانثتسا مش ةساح هيدل يذلا يونورغ تسيتاب ناج
          دجي كلذ دعب .ةيوهلا ةمزأ يف رمي .ةحئار كلتميلا هنأ فشتكي امدنع اصوصخ ، رشبلا
          يف هقيرط دجي ، كلذل .لبق نم اهمشي مل ةليمج ةحئار لمحت يتلا رمحلاا رعشلا تاذ ةاتفلا
                                             ً
          ىلع راطع لضفأ نوكي نأ ديري ، اضيأ .هيوهب هدوزي اعئار ارطع قلخي نأ ديري .ةايحلا
                                                ً
          ام ةياورلا مدقت . نهرطع جرختسيل ءارذع نيرشعو سمخ لتق ىلإ هدوقي اذهو .قلاطﻹا
                                 ً
          ىراذعلا لتق  كلذ مهفلك ول ىتح ، مهتاحومطو مهفغش عابشﻹ طقف رشبلا هلعفي امو ثدحي
                                                      .تافيطللا تائيربلا
         .ةيوهلاو ، ىراذعلا ,لسلستم لتاق ,هحئار ,رطع ,ريونتلا رصع :هيحاتفملا تاملكلا
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            Al-Esraa University College Journal for Social and Art Science Vol.)1(, No.)0(-2019
         Introduction
              Historical Fiction is a category of literary genre in which all main events 
         happen in a se�ng located in the past. One of the most important elements 
         in this genre is the se�ng because it pays a great attention to social con-
         ditions, manners, and depicts other details of the period (Kayoko  & Jesús , 
         2016). Anyway, Classical Greek novelists were "very fond of writing novels 
         about people and places in the past"( Margaret , 1996). This genre becomes 
         famous in Europe for two reasons. Firstly, it rose as a reaction against the 
         Enlightenment Age, secondly, because of the influence of Sir Walter Scott 
         (Looser , 2013). However, Historical Fictions are a mix of two elements, facts 
         and fiction, reality and romance, truth and lies, for these reasons this type of 
         novels attracted a great deal of criticism (Emma & Katherine , 2012). Histori-
         cal Fiction is characterized by certain features which distinguish it from other 
         types. The writer uses descriptive writing that digs deep into the personality 
         of the characters to make them interesting to the readers and easy to iden-
         tify them. In addition, the novelist uses dramatic monologue, and dialogues 
         between the characters to reflect their thoughts and to reveal to the readers 
         the period of the novel (Rosemary , 2000). Suskind shows the inner conflict 
         and thoughts of the characters. He uses dramatic monologue to show the 
         main character as an outcast (John , 2000). He uses large amount of disgust-
                                       Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
         ing description and this is very clear in 
              There was a little pile of cat shit behind the threshold of the door lead-
         ing out to the courtyard, still rather fresh. He took a half teaspoon of it and 
         placed it together with several drops of vinegar and finely ground salt in 
         a mixing bottle. Under the worktable he found a thumbnail-sized piece of 
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