Becoming: Genre, Queerness, and Transformation in NBC's Hannibal

Television and Popular Culture

by Kavita Mudan Finn (Editor), E.J. Nielsen (Editor)

The NBC series Hannibal has garnered both critical and fan acclaim for its cinematic qualities, its complex characters, and its innovative reworking of Thomas Harris's mythology so well-known from Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs (1991) and its variants. The series concluded late in 2015 after three seasons, despite widespread fan support for its continuation. While there is a healthy body of scholarship on Harris's novels and Demme's film adaptation, little critical attention has been paid to this newest iteration of the character and narrative.

Hannibal builds on the serial killer narratives of popular procedurals, while taking them in a drastically different direction. Like critically acclaimed series such as Breaking Bad and The Sopranos, it makes its viewers complicit in the actions of a deeply problematic individual and, in the case of Hannibal, forces them to confront that complicity through the character of Will Graham. The essays in Becoming explore these questions of authorship and audience response as well as the show's themes of horror, gore, cannibalism, queerness, and transformation. Contributors also address Hannibal's distinctive visual, auditory, and narrative style. Concluding with a compelling interview with series writer Nick Antosca, this volume will both entertain and educate scholars and fans of Hannibal and its many iterations.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, Essays, Horror, Criticism

352 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2019

Reviews

[fer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultima leitura do ano, finalmente terminei. HANNIBAL SEASON 4 WHEN

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of academic essays, written in formal style and occasionally using words I had to look up. I am not an academic, I am a superfan of Bryan Fuller's show and former English literature student, and I freakin loved this book. I loved thinking about all the ins and outs of the show in more detail, learning about fandom studies, the critique of psychoanalysis, and how even seriality itself can be horrifying. Such fun.

[David Pena · Rating 5 out of 5]

For media scholars and academics this is quite a book, but as a layman, fannibal and writer, this collection of essays just gave me a bigger perspective that has helped me understand the show better, the intentions behind it, its flaws (because Hannibal has, of course, even by general media did pretty well on most parts), etc. A book to come back at it again and again as needed.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

And here I was thinking I slayed with my Hannibal paper last semester while this masterpiece exists...

[Arctic Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful essay collection about the Hannibal tv series (2013 - 2015).
It is also about the source for the tv show the Hannibal books. Every chapter is a different essay, some are about the books and sometimes also how the plot is connected to real life stuff, like how we consume and how serial killers were like. Every chapter tackles something different and they connect to the plot of the show or book, what it is based on and other media around it like fan fiction. Fuller said in an interview he did before season 3 aired that this was like a fanfiction of the Hannibal book. If you read the books and watch the tv show you can see what made it into the show and what not.
There is a foreword from Janice Poon who was the food stylist of the show. About her time working on the show and there is also in the book from Nick Antosca who was a screenwriter who helped write for episode 3.04 Aperitivo, 3.08 The red dragon, 3.13 the wrath of the lamb.
This essay collection makes me understand the books and the show even more and makes me just enjoy every chapter like a bite of an apple. Reading these essays from other people's perspectives was amazing. It explains a lot of stuff and sometimes even a bit of theory and links to other stuff.

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. As both an academic and an obsessed NBC Hannibal fan, this collection of academic essays on my favorite show was incredible to read. Some of the essays stood out to me more than others but overall it was an eye-opening, thought provoking read. It accessibly opens up ideas of false binaries surrounding gender, sexuality, societal roles, morality, and about anything else i can think of. It also calls into question the factors of race going into the character of Hannibal as a cannibal who is permitted screen time and aesthetic beauty because of his whiteness and therefore making obvious the problem with commonly associated ideas of barabarity and non Euro or American-Centered narratives with cannibalism. I've been thinking about writing a paper on NBC Hannibal for awhile now and reading these gave me some amazing ideas that i'm so excited to put into practice.

[lele · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a gem. a collection of academic essays analysing the hannibal show through the lens of its critique on psychoanalysis, how the show's love story relates to relationship dynamics gothic literature, forensics, sociology and will and hannibal's relationship and mentorship - i've taken so much from this. it is immeasurable in value, both academical and to fuel my obsessiviness, one-man religion cult towards the show.

[abbie]

#HANNIGRAM IS A THING AND ITS COMING FOR THE #FANNIBALS!!!!

my favorite essays:
- hannibal lecter’s monstrous return: the horror of seriality in bryan fuller’s hannibal
- “adapt. evolve. become.”: queering red dragon in bryan fuller’s hannibal
- monstrous masculinities in gothic romance: will graham, jane eyre, and caleb williams
- bedelia du maurier: hannibal’s femme fatale and final girl
- “some lazy psychiatry, dr lecter”: teacups, narrative, and hannibal’s critique of psychoanalysis

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessito més llibres acadèmics sobre fan-culture i fanfiction dels meus interessos especials. Sembla mentida la quantitat de capes (haha, com una ceba) que hi ha darrere les produccions, especialment a Hannibal.

[Mess López · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing lecture. I loved all the different analysis about this show that it's so beloved for me
The fact i was procrastinating my thesis about queer theory reading this just to read a whole chapter about queer theory, ah, I was procrastinating my homework and the universe didn't let me.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wonderful and full of really great perspectives and analysis's of the show.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

the best essay is the one that makes the race/cannibalism criticism. a fun book if you are an academic and also love hannibal

[maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a few gems but some fall a bit flat

[Jis]

<3

[KG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant collection of analyses!

[megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Om nom nom

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an academic who also loves Hannibal, this book seemed to be written specifically for me. I loved every word! Seeing as I have 156 highlights that I just made perfect that’s probably obvious. Highly recommend for every other nerdy academic Hannibal fan out there.

[Gigi Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like a textbook at times, but if you're a Hannibal fan, it's a must-read. It unpacks themes we all pick up on in the show and explains the complexity in seemingly simple interactions throughout. The collection of essays do not shy away from the shortcomings of the show but ultimately pull back the curtain to reveal the beauty of it.