Dear researcher
I am looking for literary texts that depict hybristophilic relationships. I am writing a literary analysis on hybristophilia for my Matura thesis, and it is incredibly difficult to find information on the subject. So far, I’ve only found a Wikipedia article and lots of newspaper reports without any sources. For my project, however, I need more specific information on hybristophilic relationships, as well as examples from literature that I can analyse for their characteristics. It’s the latter in particular that I’m struggling to find. I’d be very grateful if you could help me out a bit.
Dear school-leaver
Of course, in the world of ‘whodunnit’ literature, there are always women who fall for the culprit. Or there are gangster couples, such as in the 1949 film *Riso Amaro*, in which no fewer than two couples celebrate such a relationship. The flamboyant, handsome man captures a woman’s heart. But in reality, the fictional portrayal of this dynamic always suffers from a credibility problem.
The idea that a woman should love a murderer seems strange, off-putting or somehow sleazy in a fictional context. A hybrisophilic relationship (what a gruesome word!) works in non-fiction, i.e. in reportage.
In summary: The phenomenon tends to occur in reality and is depicted in documentary genres, but practically never in purely fictional literature. A study of contemporary history and criminal psychology is likely to be more promising.
With warm regards, Hildegard Keller