The Invention of Murder How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
von Judith Flanders
"Superb... Flanders's convincing and smart synthesis of the evolution of an official police force, fictional detectives, and real-life cause célèbres will appeal to devotees of true crime and detective fiction alike." -Publishers Weekly, starred reviewIn this fascinating exploration of murder in nineteenth century England, Judith Flanders examines some of the most gripping cases that captivated the Victorians and gave rise to the first detective fiction Murder in the nineteenth century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous, with cold-blooded killings transformed into novels, broadsides, ballads, opera, and melodrama-even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts. Detective fiction and the new police force developed in parallel, each imitating the other-the founders of Scotland Yard gave rise to Dickens's Inspector Bucket, the first fictional police detective, who in turn influenced Sherlock Holmes and, ultimately, even P.D. James and Patricia Cornwell.In this meticulously researched and engrossing book, Judith Flanders retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder in Great Britain, both famous and obscure: from Greenacre, who transported his dismembered fiancée around town by omnibus, to Burke and Hare's bodysnatching business in Edinburgh; from the crimes (and myths) of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, to the tragedy of the murdered Marr family in London's East End. Through these stories of murder-from the brutal to the pathetic-Flanders builds a rich and multi-faceted portrait of Victorian society in Great Britain. With an irresistible cast of swindlers, forgers, and poisoners, the mad, the bad and the utterly dangerous, The Invention of Murder is both a mesmerizing tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.
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The Invention of Murder How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
von Judith Flanders
"Superb... Flanders's convincing and smart synthesis of the evolution of an official police force, fictional detectives, and real-life cause célèbres will appeal to devotees of true crime and detective fiction alike." -Publishers Weekly, starred reviewIn this fascinating exploration of murder in nineteenth century England, Judith Flanders examines some of the most gripping cases that captivated the Victorians and gave rise to the first detective fiction Murder in the nineteenth century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous, with cold-blooded killings transformed into novels, broadsides, ballads, opera, and melodrama-even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts. Detective fiction and the new police force developed in parallel, each imitating the other-the founders of Scotland Yard gave rise to Dickens's Inspector Bucket, the first fictional police detective, who in turn influenced Sherlock Holmes and, ultimately, even P.D. James and Patricia Cornwell.In this meticulously researched and engrossing book, Judith Flanders retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder in Great Britain, both famous and obscure: from Greenacre, who transported his dismembered fiancée around town by omnibus, to Burke and Hare's bodysnatching business in Edinburgh; from the crimes (and myths) of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, to the tragedy of the murdered Marr family in London's East End. Through these stories of murder-from the brutal to the pathetic-Flanders builds a rich and multi-faceted portrait of Victorian society in Great Britain. With an irresistible cast of swindlers, forgers, and poisoners, the mad, the bad and the utterly dangerous, The Invention of Murder is both a mesmerizing tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.
Aktuelle Rezensionen(1)
Rezension von RaymondIn The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime, Judith Flanders investigates the phenomena of murder and crime in the Victorian era via landmark murder cases, trials, publications, and modern adaptations. Judith Flanders looks at more than 20 murder cases, from poisoners to Jack the Ripper. Flanders covers the establishment of a detective arm of the police force, scientific advances in forensic science and the macabre reactions to the murders in the form of theatrical performances, fiction novels, cheap narratives also known as “penny dreadfuls”, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks and in the newspapers of the day. Flanders describes the Victorian public as the creators of “murder- sightseeing” taking a macabre fascination in viewing crime scenes, hangings and court trials. Flanders adopts a thematic approach to each type of murderer. Chapters entitled, “Trial by Newspaper,” “Entertaining Murder,” “Panic,” and “Science, Technology, and the Law,” allow Flanders to approach the era from a many angles that allow the reader a wide-ranging understanding of this multilayered topic. Flanders’s The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime is an achievement of research and historical investigation. Flanders makes strenuous efforts to be as thorough as possible while crafting intriguing stories to keep her readers continuously engaged. Her text keeps the reader intrigued using incredible research into the crimes themselves, keeping the historical and modern relevance intact. This is far from a “dry” book. An entertaining, informative, yet gruesome book. One to read.