How Long to Read Smells

How Long Does it Take to Read Smells?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 51 minutes to read Smells by Robert Muchembled

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Why is our sense of smell so under-appreciated? We tend to think of smell as a vestigial remnant of our pre-human past, doomed to gradual extinction, and we go to great lengths to eliminate smells from our environment, suppressing body odour, bad breath and other smells. Living in a relatively odour-free environment has numbed us to the importance that smells have always had in human history and culture. In this major new book Robert Muchembled restores smell to its rightful place as one of our most important senses and examines the transformation of smells in the West from the Renaissance to the beginning of the 19th century. He shows that in earlier centuries, the air in towns and cities was often saturated with nauseating emissions and dangerous pollution. Having little choice but to see and smell faeces and urine on a daily basis, people showed little revulsion; until the 1620s, literature and poetry delighted in excreta which now disgust us. The smell of excrement and body odours were formative aspects of eroticism and sexuality, for the social elite and the popular classes alike. At the same time, medicine explained outbreaks of plague by Satan's poisonous breath corrupting the air. Amber, musk and civet came to be seen as vital bulwarks against the devil's breath: scents were worn like armour against the plague. The disappearance of the plague after 1720 and the sharp decline in fear of the devil meant there was no longer any point in using perfumes to fight the forces of evil, paving the way for the olfactory revolution of the 18th century when softer, sweeter perfumes, often with floral and fruity scents, came into fashion, reflecting new norms of femininity and a gentler vision of nature. This rich cultural history of an under-appreciated sense will be appeal to a wide readership.

How long is Smells?

Smells by Robert Muchembled is 231 pages long, and a total of 57,981 words.

This makes it 78% the length of the average book. It also has 71% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Smells Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 16 minutes to read Smells aloud.

What Reading Level is Smells?

Smells is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Smells?

Smells by Robert Muchembled is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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