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watching the characters
Thomas Harris is best known for his character Hannibal Lecter, who appears in three of his novels: Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal.
This is just a guess, but I'll bet that most of the literati haven't read Harris and would decline any interest in reading his stuff because of the subject matter and the genre taint. Which is actually kind of sad for them, because Harris is one of those writers who transcends boundaries. His stuff is certainly about serial crime, but it's also top notch storytelling, with complex characters and exacting, evocative use of language.
I just re-read the essay he wrote that appears in the front matter for the most recent paper back edition of Red Dragon, and I remember feeling just the same way the first time I read it. It's rare that somebody really captures what it's like to write fiction, the feel of it, but Harris does that. Here, for example:
You must understand that when you are writing a novel you are not making anything up. It's all there and you just have to find it.
He goes on to talk about his partnership with his main character, Will Graham, his empathy for the guy, what it's like to have watched him shift through evidence and come to a reluctant decision about needing help, and who he needed to get that help from. And at that point:
Will Graham and I, approaching Dr. Lecter's cell. Graham was tense and I could smell fear on him. I thought Dr. Lecter was asleep and I jumped when he recognized Will Graham by scent without opening his eyes.I was enjoying my usual immunity while working, my invisibility to Chilton and Graham and the staff, but I was not comfortable in the presence of Dr. Lecter, not sure at all that the doctor could not see me.
To somebody who doesn't spend their time watching characters and following them around, this probably sounds a little nuts. But to the rest of us there's the feeling of rightness. This is how it works when it works. The characters have the power to surprise you, to frighten you, to make you shift uncomfortably in your seat.
There are new characters in Queen of Swords. One of them is a man who frightens me, and I don't like getting to close to him either. He's no Hannibal Lecter, but he's callously cruel and he likes to inflict pain. I keep trying to get rid of him and he keeps coming back. I have another character I like much more, but don't know well enough yet to really trust. He keeps going away when I want him to stay around.
For the record, I want to state, yet again, my position on all this:
Storytelling is a strange and wonderful business, and I'm fortunate to be able to pursue it. I'm thankful that I have readers who are as interested in my characters as I am.
October 27, 2005 03:29 PM
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By pure coincidence, we were discussing Red Dragon in the office this morning. Thomas Harris is one of those authors who really can write chilling suspense. One of the guys here reckons he was more jumpy reading Red Dragon than watching the 'stalking by night vision glasses' scene in the Silence of the Lambs movie.
If Thomas Harris is fearful that Hanninal Lecter can smell him, then no wonder the writing is so good.
Along those lines then, I am therefore not sure whether I should look forward to meeting this new character of yours in Queen of Swords.
Posted by: Alison at October 27, 2005 05:25 PM
oops - sidetracked. What I really wanted to comment is that I find it fascinating hearing about how you write - that the characters come to you (or refuse to come) and you write what you find. I can't really imagine it but it still makes perfect sense to me.
Posted by: Alison at October 27, 2005 05:31 PM
I always remember how you described why there was a gap of years between two of your books in the Wilderness series. You said something to the effect of 'Elizabeth was upset about her miscarriages, and she didn't want anyone around for a while' (I apologize for the very rough paraphrasing).
That *image* of your trying to see her, watch her, talk to her and all of the other characters too really made an impression upon me. I've thought it was a fascinating description of what it can feel like to be a storyteller who is good at what she does.
As for this new person, I say "Oh NO! Not another one who loves to be cruel and inflict pain!"
I say this, because I just about threw up over some of the final scenes in Outlander. I've never re-read them, I just skip those parts. It makes me hesitate to recomend her series to people, and if I do, I give this HUGE disclaimer.
*sigh* I guess I'll have to wait and see about this new one, eh?
Posted by: Danielle at October 27, 2005 06:27 PM
um, I really do know how to spell recommend. ;-)
Posted by: Danielle at October 27, 2005 06:29 PM