The Motive of Cannibalism in Law vs. Mass Culture

The fascination with the motif of cannibalism is noticeable both in the space of legal deliberations and in mass culture as a starting point for contemplations about human nature. Various approaches undertaken to portray cannibalism serve as foundation for the reflection on how the law influences mass culture. The example of Fuller’s The Case of the Speluncean Explorers illustrates that the motif of cannibalism serves to show the integrity of law and morality, and at the same time it opens a discussion about the nature of law, as well as the role of the judge in the state. The transfer of the fictional case into the space of mass culture confirms the interrelation of law and mass culture, which has been called the phenomenon of the aesthetics of law in the external perspective. Despite the many identical elements, mass culture is moving away from legal and moral evaluation of cannibals. Moreover, mass culture has begun to move in the direction of popularizing the romantic vision of cannibalism, that is, cannibalism for pleasure, practiced by serial killers, which is particularly noticeable in American films. In this aspect, the influences and ways of portraying the law are discernible, however, nowadays the subject of cannibalism itself is portrayed more through the prism of the psychological sphere than through the law, morality or mutual rules of coexistence.