Editing Clarice Starling (section)

==''Hannibal''==
At the beginning of ''Hannibal'', Starling is in her early 30s and still working for the FBI, although her career has been held back by Paul Krendler, a [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] official who resents her because he is a [[Misogyny|misogynist]], because she rejected his sexual advances, and because he believes that she humiliated him. She takes part in a bungled drug raid, in which she returns fire after a drug kingpin fires at her, using an infant as a human shield; her superiors blame her for the resulting mess, and she is removed from active duty, mostly at Krendler's instigation. She receives a supportive letter from Lecter, who is (unknown to her at the time) residing in [[Florence]], [[Italy]] under an alias. One of Lecter's surviving victims, a [[Sadistic personality disorder|sadistic]] [[pedophile]] named [[Mason Verger]], is searching for Lecter and has offered a huge reward, which corrupt Florentine police inspector Rinaldo Pazzi tries to claim when he deduces Lecter's true identity in Florence.

Starling finds out that Lecter is in Florence and attempts to warn Pazzi. As Starling predicted, Lecter knows about the plot to capture him and, as a result, he kills Pazzi. Lecter then flees to the United States and immediately starts to follow Starling. Starling, meanwhile, is being harassed at the FBI by various corrupt agents, especially by Krendler, who is secretly assisting Verger in his attempt to capture Lecter. Starling attempts to find Lecter first, not only to capture him but also to save him from Verger. Krendler attempts to frame Starling in a scheme planned by Verger, alleging she sent coded newspaper messages to Lecter; this only results in her being suspended, but she is now powerless to stop Verger's men. Lecter is captured by Verger, who plans to feed him to a pack of specially bred [[wild boar]]s.

[[Image:claricestarlinghannibal.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Julianne Moore]] as Starling in ''[[Hannibal (2001 film)|Hannibal]]''; Lecter (played by [[Anthony Hopkins]]) is in the background.]]
Starling is aware that Lecter is being held by Verger, so she attempts to save him so she can bring him in to the authorities. Following Verger's death at the hands of his sister Margot, Starling uses the distraction to try to rescue Lecter. She is wounded in the ensuing gunfight with Verger's men, but Lecter rescues her and nurses her back to health. He then subjects her to a regimen of [[psychoactive drug]]s in the course of therapy sessions to help her heal from her childhood trauma and her pent-up anger at the injustices of the world. He considers whether his long-dead younger sister Mischa may somehow be able to live again through Starling.

During this time, Lecter captures Krendler and performs a [[craniotomy]] on him while he is still alive. During an elaborate dinner, Lecter scoops spoonfuls of Krendler's [[forebrain]] to saute with lemon and [[caper]]s. In the novel, he serves Krendler's brain to Starling, who finds it delicious.

Lecter's plan for Mischa to live again within Starling ultimately fails, as she refuses to have her own personality sublimated, and he only briefly entertains the idea of Mischa taking his place. Starling then opens her dress and offers her breasts to Lecter; he accepts her offer and the two become lovers.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Thomas|last1=Harris|author-link=Thomas Harris|title=Hannibal|url=https://archive.org/details/hannibalharr00harr|url-access=registration|date=8 June 1999|publisher=Delacorte Press|location=New York City|isbn=0-385-33487-7|edition=1st|page=554}}</ref> They disappear together, only to be sighted again three years later entering the [[Teatro Colón]] Opera House in [[Buenos Aires]] by former orderly Barney, who had treated Lecter with respect while he was incarcerated in Baltimore. Fearing for his life, Barney leaves Buenos Aires immediately, never to return.

The reader then learns that Lecter and Starling are living together in an "exquisite" [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] mansion, where they employ servants and engage in activities such as learning new languages and dancing together and building their own respective [[Method of loci|memory palaces]], and is told that "Sex is a splendid structure they add to every day", that the psychoactive drugs "have had no part in their lives for a long time", and that Lecter is "satisfied" with the fact that Mischa cannot return.