Abstracts & Papers
The Physiognomy of Evil
In his list of juxtapositions in the Bond novels Umberto Eco mentions as
the second opposition the dichotomy between James Bond and the villain. It
is this figure of the villain that I wish to concentrate on in my paper.
When reading Ian Fleming's novels and his descriptions of the various
villains one is struck by the similarity in their appearance. To pick out
just one feature, many of them are redheads: Hugo Drax (Moonraker), Red
Grant (From Russia with Love), Le Chiffre (Casino Royale). Almost
invariably their physical features are linked to an obscure or at least
ambiguous ethnic background: For example, Red Grant is half Irish, half
German. Drawing on literary traditions in physiognomy and linking them to
the issue of race in Fleming's novels I will examine how the villains are
described, how they are juxtaposed with the figure of Bond and how they
reflect society's concerns and fears of the time. I will focus mainly on
From Russia with Love (1957) and one other novel, probably Moonraker
(1955).
download: paper (PDF)
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