Dissecting Hannibal Lecter: Essays on the Novels of Thomas Harris

by Benjamin Szumskyj (Editor)

A comprehensive study of author, Thomas Harris' popular works which focuses particularly on Harris' internationally known antihero Hannibal The Cannibal Lecter in the classic novels Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal. This work examines several themes within Harris' trilogy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Literary Criticism

239 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2007

Reviews

[Monika G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays was an enjoyable read if you wish to learn more about the series. There were countless amounts of symbolism and parallels that I had failed to pick up while reading Harris' novels and this book certainly served its purpose for me. Don't expect this to be an easy read. They are indeed essays, some harder to read than others. I loved it for the fact I felt I was learning; made plenty of notes and highlighted a lot of the text that I wanted to keep in mind for the next time I read through any of Harris' novels.

The forward, preface, introduction and afterward all played their parts in brief summaries, bringing up some more generalized facts to the forefront. The collection of essays are as follows (with a brief definition of the topic conveniently provided, the stars indicate my favorites):
- American Gothic: Liminality and the Gothic in the Hannibal Lecter Novels
- * Hannibal at the Lectern: A Textual Analysis of Dr. Hannibal Lecter's Character and Motivations in Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs
- Gothic Romance and Killer Couples in Black Sunday and Hannibal
- The Butterfly and the Beast: The Imprisoned Soul in the Lecter Trilogy
- This is the Blind Leading the Blind: Noir, Horror and Reality in Red Dragon
- From Red Dragon to Manhunter
- Suspense vs Horror: The Case of Thomas Harris
- * Transmogrified Gothic: The Novels of Thomas Harris
- Hannibal Rising: Look Back in Anger
- * Before Her Lambs Were Silent: Reading Gender and the Feminine in Red Dragon
- Black Sunday, Black September: Thomas Harris's Thriller, from Novel to Film
- *Morbidity of the Soul: An Appreciation of Hannibal

I would invite anyone who had disagreements or found disappointment in Hannibal to read "Gothic Romance and Killer Couples..." and "Morbidity of the Soul" first and foremost. It's so adequately illustrates what so many readers did miss. There were some more difficult reads than others, and admittedly I did get weary reading so much about Red Dragon (though that may be because I was never a huge fan of Will Graham). There are some typos here or there that irritated me and even a handful of incorrect summaries in some essays (I nearly threw the book when the "Transmogrified Gothic" essay stated Clarice and Noble indeed shared the same bed together at the end of Silence - that was left entirely to interpretation!)

Regardless of a few flaws here or there in the essays, each one certainly brings to light about the brilliance of Harris's work and has certainly given me a better appreciation for the masterpieces that I just recently read.

[Taryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lector is the greatest villain to grace the printed page. I thought this exercise into his brain would offer more. Instead I found the essays to be hard to read. There were a lot of terms used that I thought could have been better explained with a smaller vocabulary. The language seemed more for the excessive use of language than truly explaining the character.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I still have to give this volume a closer perusal, I am rather underwhelmed by the range of essays, as well as the limited range of expertise somewhat evident in the list of authors. I will emend this review accordingly should I find this assessment to have been hasty.