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Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London
by Claire Harman
An interesting social study of the role of fiction and media in the influence on public morals and motivation. A crime is committed and the criminal was supposedly influenced and corrupted by the fame and glorification of the notorious Jack Sheppard (a model for Hogarth's apprentice's progress etchings) in novels and plays. Whether this was truly the case is debatable, however the impact on London society and its youth in particular, is not.
The tale of the conviction seems to be, in our modern view, a litany of lost opportunities and biases with a very unconvincing result. The final chapter of this story is appropriately titled Unanswered Questions.
Apart from the true crime aspect, this account also details the interesting involvement of the young Dickens and Thackeray, with the former quickly disassociating himself and his novel Oliver Twist from the nefarious Newgate Novel label. This event also strongly influenced Dickens and others in their opposition to public executions and the death penalty in general.
Overall an interesting slice of Victorian history and the nascent days of crime solving.
The tale of the conviction seems to be, in our modern view, a litany of lost opportunities and biases with a very unconvincing result. The final chapter of this story is appropriately titled Unanswered Questions.
Apart from the true crime aspect, this account also details the interesting involvement of the young Dickens and Thackeray, with the former quickly disassociating himself and his novel Oliver Twist from the nefarious Newgate Novel label. This event also strongly influenced Dickens and others in their opposition to public executions and the death penalty in general.
Overall an interesting slice of Victorian history and the nascent days of crime solving.