ROMANTICIZATION OF ABJECTION IN HANNIBAL CONTENT ON X: AN AUDIENCE RECEPTION ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study examines the romanticization of abjection in Hannibal (2013–2015) and the audience reception of such representations on X. Using Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection and Stuart Hall's encoding–decoding model, the research employs a qualitative method combining textual analysis of selected scenes from the series and reception analysis of 153 textual posts published on X between November 2022 and January 2023. The findings show that the series gradually transforms abjection from bodily violation into shared ritual and finally into romantic symbolism through aestheticized violence, cannibalism, and emotional intimacy. Audience responses are classified into dominant, negotiated, and oppositional readings. Dominant audiences interpret violence and cannibalism as metaphors of intimacy and devotion; negotiated audiences appreciate the aesthetic and emotional aspects of the series while maintaining ethical reservations; oppositional audiences reject the romanticization of murder and bodily transgression. The study concludes that Hannibal does not eliminate the abject nature of violence and cannibalism but re-encodes them through visual beauty, ritual structure, and emotional symbolism, while audiences actively reproduce, negotiate, or resist these meanings within contemporary digital fandom culture.