ABSTRACT

René Magritte’s The Menaced Assassin (1926, Figure 5.1) haunts the process of reading Ballard’s detective fictions. Influenced by the literary and cinematic adventures of Fantômas (the seductive genius of crime whom the Surrealists admired), The Threatened Assassin offers, at first glance, a transparent narrative of murder and impending capture.1 We observe the sprawled body of a naked female corpse; blood pours from her mouth, and a white towel lies across her shoulders. A man, whom we presume to be the murderer, stands with one hand in his pocket as he listens to a gramophone record. The presence of his hat, overcoat and suitcase suggest imminent escape. In the foyer, two detectives await the assassin with a bludgeon and a net. In the background, three men peer over an iron railing and observe the murder scene. The story of The Threatened Assassin appears to be foretold as verisimilitude counters enigma and mimesis dissolves any sense of mystery. But is this really the case?