Gregoriou, C (2020) Schematic incongruity, conversational power play and criminal mind style in Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs. Language and Literature, 29 (4). pp. 373-388. ISSN 0963-9470
Abstract
This article considers the construction of the profilers and criminals in Thomas Harris’ (2013) [1988] novel Silence of the Lambs through the analysis of selected indicative criminal mind-related extracts. The aim is to consider such characters’ construction through analysis of schematic incongruity, conversational power play, language depicting the actual fictional criminal viewpoint and, lastly, psychological profiling language, the style of which has criminal mind style ‘potential’. Schematic incongruity has a role to play in generating impressions of both the normality and abnormality of psychological profilers and the killers they pursue. Serial killers are constructed as not only physically/psychologically ‘abnormal’ but also as ‘abnormals’ amongst other ‘abnormals’ in terms of their conversational patterns, too. Where some criminals’ apparent reluctance, or inability, to accord to conversational norms marks them as uncivilised, killer/profiler Lecter’s mostly conventional conversational politeness marks him out as indirectly mocking the social norms he sometimes chooses to accord to. Where killer Gumb is concerned, profiling language and language depicting his criminal viewpoint draws on metaphors and references to killing being likened to hunting, work and art, suggesting that killing is necessary, commendable and ceremonial, the victims’ mere things to be utilised in a venture that can only be described as worthy. Though Lecter is shown to be ‘born’ into deviant behaviour, and Gumb is suggested to have been ‘made’ into a criminal, the novel undoubtedly suggests connections, similarities even, between both such character types’ extreme criminal behaviour and those wanting to understand ‘criminal minds’ through the profiling practice.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2020. This is an author produced version of a journal article published in Language and Literature. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Crime fiction, (criminal) mind style, conversation analysis, metaphor, psychological profiling, schema theory |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 03 Dec 2020 16:38 |
Last Modified: | 19 Feb 2021 15:08 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0963947020968663 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:168653 |