Spence Charles, Kucirkova Natalia, Campbell Janine, Gao Yang, Brooks Jas
University of Oxford.
University of Stavanger.
Iperception. 2024 Jun 11;15(3):20416695241257566. doi: 10.1177/20416695241257566. eCollection 2024 May-Jun.
This conceptual paper examines the use of odours and scents in books to enhance storytelling and engage readers. While books often possess a distinctive smell linked to their material production, the intentional use of scents in books is rare. Our study focuses on scratch-and-sniff books, examining their narrative purposes and contributions to young children's literature. We conduct a narrative historical review, supplemented by a systematic search of databases, online catalogues and lists, to identify a collection of these scented books. Through this review, we explore the extent to which these books represent a unique category of children's picture books, investigating how their features align with theoretical understandings of quality characteristics in children's literature and the role of olfactory cues in storytelling. We address why most scented books target younger readers and discuss possible reasons for the absence of scented books for an adult readership. This intriguing asymmetry contrasts the use of scent in other media (such as film, theatre or virtual reality), often directed toward adults. In addition, this review sheds light on the innovative use of scents in books and their impact on reader immersion and narrative experience. Finally, we consider possible future uses of scent in the context of digital books (ebooks).
这篇概念性论文探讨了在书籍中使用气味和香味以增强故事叙述并吸引读者的情况。虽然书籍通常具有与其物质生产相关的独特气味，但在书籍中有意识地使用香味却很少见。我们的研究聚焦于刮擦嗅闻式书籍，考察它们的叙事目的以及对幼儿文学的贡献。我们进行了叙事历史回顾，并辅以对数据库、在线目录和列表的系统搜索，以确定这些有香味书籍的集合。通过这次回顾，我们探究这些书籍在多大程度上代表了一种独特的儿童图画书类别，研究它们的特征如何与儿童文学质量特征的理论理解以及嗅觉线索在故事叙述中的作用相契合。我们探讨了为何大多数有香味书籍针对的是较年幼的读者，并讨论了缺乏面向成年读者的有香味书籍的可能原因。这种有趣的不对称与其他媒体（如电影、戏剧或虚拟现实）中香味的使用形成对比，后者通常面向成年人。此外，这次回顾揭示了书籍中香味的创新使用及其对读者沉浸感和叙事体验的影响。最后，我们考虑了在电子书背景下香味未来可能的用途。
