‘She shook her heavy tresses, and their perfume filled the place’: The Seductive Fragrance of ‘that awful sorceress’: H. Rider Haggard's femme fatale, Ayesha

Abstract

This paper explores perfume, scent, and floriography as an aspect of the archetype of the femme fatale, specifically in the context of the late-Victorian Gothic and its afterlives. As an expansion of the concept of a masculine-Gothic language of flowers, this article analyses H. Rider Haggard's Ayesha, a central character within his popular romance, She, by reviewing the significance of the artificially floral in her development. Perfume and floriography in She convey not only the aura of mystically seductive danger intrinsic to the creation of the femme fatale, but also suggest the longevity, originality and power imbued in this archetype. The article argues that much of Ayesha's complexity and continued appeal rests on the idea that the Gothic and perfume significantly influence her portrayal as a femme fatale whilst allowing for her individuality.