The new Wuthering Heights adaptation has just come out in cinemas, so of course our resident (self-professed) fragrance and literature nerd Laura was inspired to talk about some scents that connect to the classic gothic horror that is the original text.
Wuthering Heights is a story that covers many bases – it’s spooky, it’s heartbreaking, it’s romantic, it’s dramatic… Let’s just say it’s a hard book to put down once you’ve started it, which is why it’s one of the most beloved classics out there!
A SCENT TO SET THE SCENE
“If the Wuthering Heights universe had an overall smell to me, it would be the Abandoned Mansion by Imaginary Authors. This fragrance is literally supposed to smell like you’ve stumbled across an abandoned mansion – there’s dust all over all of the surfaces, there are piles of mildewy books with pages strewn across the parlour…” – Laura
This brings to mind the beginning of Wuthering Heights, when Lockwood visits the inhospitable and cold Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights. There he happens upon Cathy’s diary, which leads him to enquire after the story of the house – the framing device for the story!
“Also, importantly, this fragrance has a bunch of oakmoss in it, and that mossy smell is what I can really clearly imagine permeating off those Yorkshire moors where the story is set.”
NOTES
Cedar, Quince, Petitgrain, Pimento Berry, Oakmoss Absolute, Ambreine, Paperbacks
CATHY – A WEEPING ROSE
“Originally created by the perfumer for a friend going through a heartbreak, Weeping Rose is immediately what comes to mind for Cathy. It’s a classic, intense rose, but has some spice and earthiness to it, which captures both Cathy’s unruly tempestuousness and her capacity for softness and romance.”
Weeping Rose also contains some traditionally English notes – juniper, which is native to Yorkshire moorlands, as well as rose, a symbol of English beauty.
NOTES
Top: Rosebud Tea, Red Apple, Juniper Berries
Middle: Fig Leaf, Orris Root
Base: Maple, Amber, Vanilla Bean
HEATHCLIFF – HAUNTED BY A POLTERGEIST
“I’ve chosen Poltergeist for Heathcliff for a number of reasons – obviously because he’s haunted by Cathy’s ghost, but also because of how divisive this scent is. It’s unapologetically loud, strong, smoky, and dirty, and I think that Heathcliff would have liked to have worn it given he enjoyed being an affront to the people he was in a room with. He was not interested in being likable – and succeeded at that!”
Another fragrance containing English juniper as well as mossy woods and resins, this fragrance could also be evocative of the smell of chimney smoke wafting over those moors, beckoning you home…
NOTES
Top: Juniper, Pine, Hinoki, Frankincense
Middle: Neroli
Base: Birch Tar, Wormwood, Galbanum, Patchouli, Labdanum, Palo Santo
