The Ascent of Hannibal Lecter

This chapter examines the character of Hannibal Lecter. Thomas Harris makes it quickly apparent that Lecter is unlike most other fictional monsters we have encountered: he is well-read, charismatic, and immensely polite. In fact, politeness is one of the key components of his baleful personality: those he considers ‘impolite’ he kills. His prey are frequently other killers, monsters who, unlike himself, are mere murderers, without his ‘redeeming’ features such as a high IQ, impressive culinary skills, and an expert knowledge of Italian Renaissance art. Indeed, one of Harris's signal achievements is the establishment of the character's unacknowledged mauvais foi — the monumental, smug self-deception he practices to maintain a lofty distance between himself and those he considers to be ordinary killers, or worse, ordinary killers who lack manners. The chapter then looks at Lecter's screen debut in the film Manhunter (1986). It also considers the influence of the Italian genre of the stylish murder thriller, the giallo, on the films made of Harris's work.