Postmodernism

Patrick Süskind's novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer can be classified as postmodern. However, the term "postmodernism" is difficult to define. This term also occurs in architecture or art. The term "postmodernism" was probably first used around 1930 by Frederico de Onis. Writers, musicians, and artists took up the term and applied it to their own work, which was distinct from modernism. From the middle of the 20th century, the term "postmodernism" was used in literature.

Postmodern writing raises questions about the boundary between language and image/content and the extent to which reality can be expressed in writing. In the character of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, this is made clear by the fact that he himself is poor at language and only learns to speak at a very late stage. He also doubts that language is capable of adequately reflecting real sensory impressions:"[...] All these grotesque incongruities between the richness of the world perceivable by smel...