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Critical studies of American author Thomas Harris's works are sorely lacking, despite some successful attempts to juxtapose the texts with their cinematic adaptations. In reading these valiant attempts, it is evident that one of the most discussed areas of interest is the question of Harris's literary influences. Several authors and literary characters are discussed, some cases stronger than the others, but all such studies remain mere speculation. Since Harris has chosen not to write essays or conduct interviews, fans and scholars have had to draw from their own readings: they rely on their ability to act as competent and skilled readers to construct theories and interpretations as to Harris's influences. I have noticed one particular literary influence present in all four of Harris's "Hannibal Lecter" books: Robert Bloch. Bloch' s influence, in particular that of his celebrated novel Psycho(1959), is evident throughout the saga, as a juxtaposition of each text should confirm.
The first book in the Lecter saga (referring not to date of publication but to the events it narrates) is Hannibal Rising (2006). It shows Hannibal Lecter establishing a relationship with Lady Murasaki, the partner of his uncle Robert, who dies early in the novel. That she is legally his stepmother does not deter Hannibal from loving her in a manner that can only be described as pseudo-sexual. Though there is no physical intercourse, Lecter, like Norman Bates in Psycho, displays his unconditional love for the predominant female figure in his life by killing anyone who brings her sorrow or pain. When local butcher Paul Momund racially taunts Lady Murasaki, Lecter "drew the curved sword from the lute case and slashed Paul across the belly" (Harris, HR 103); later, the "next two blows sliced him behind the ankles and he went down hamstrung and bellowing like a steer" (Harris, HR 104). In Psycho, those who "see" Bates's mother upstairs and dare to disturb her, like the detective Arbogast, share a similar fate.
The connections between Psycho and Red Dragon (1983) are hardly unnoticeable; and although there are similarities, there are also differences. In Psycho, Norman Bates wants to become his mother despite the verbal abuse ("You're a Mamma's Boy. That's what they called you, and that's what you were. Were, are, and always...