Fragrance Quote
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë lists the evening garden’s flowers, then notices “a new scent” that is “neither of shrub nor flower”: Mr. Rochester’s cigar.
In Her Own Words
“Sweet-briar and southernwood, jasmine, pink, and rose have long been yielding their evening sacrifice of incense: this new scent is neither of shrub nor flower; it is—I know it well—it is Mr. Rochester’s cigar.”
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847), chapter 23
Essential Details
Jane Eyre: Sweet-Briar and a Cigar at a Glance
- Speaker: Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855), narrated by Jane Eyre
- Source: Jane Eyre, 1847, chapter 23
- Status: Public domain
- Notes named: Sweet-briar, southernwood, jasmine, pink, rose, tobacco
Why the Quote Resonates
Jane identifies the scent of a person before she sees him. The passage sets a garden of jasmine and rose against the smell of tobacco smoke, a contrast that fragrances still use when they pair sweet florals with smoky or leathery notes.
Scent as Presence
The line “I know it well” is the point: a familiar scent can announce someone. That is what a signature fragrance does too. Compare Keats naming a garden in the dark and the different effect of Ackerman on the memory of smell. For more on the materials, see the Fragrance Library.
Why it matters
Brontë uses scent to introduce a character before he walks into the scene.