The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
By Lucy Worsley
Read by Anne Flosnik
Unabridged
Format :
Library CD (In Stock)
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2 Formats: Library CD
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2 Formats: MP3 CD
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ISBN: 9798200035793
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ISBN: 9798200035816
| Runtime: | 7.10 Hours |
| Category: | Nonfiction/History |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
Summary
Summary
Murder: a dark, shameful deed, the last resort of the desperate or a vile tool of the greedy—and a very strange, very English obsession. But where did this fixation develop? And what does it tell us about ourselves?In The Art of the English Murder, Lucy Worsley explores this phenomenon in forensic detail, revisiting notorious crimes like the Ratcliff Highway Murders, which caused a nationwide panic in the early nineteenth century, and the case of Frederick and Maria Manning, the suburban couple who were hanged after killing Maria's lover and burying him under their kitchen floor. Our fascination with crimes like these became a form of national entertainment, inspiring novels and plays, prose and paintings, poetry and true-crime journalism. The Art of the English Murder is a unique exploration of the art of crime—and a riveting investigation into the English criminal soul.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“Lucy Worsley’s lively book…traces the growth of this industry through some
of the era’s most avidly followed killings. Her goal isn’t to provide a history
of crime or crime writing but to show how the British enjoyed and consumed the
idea of murder…A bonus of The Art of the
English Murder is Worsley’s interest in women writers, partly the grandes
dames of the 1920s and ‘30s like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, but
also several whose work has been forgotten.” —New York Times Book Review
“Worsley’s book covers a great deal of ground and provides an excellent
overview of how the consumption of crime became a dominant part of our cultural
landscape.” —Sunday Times (London)
“Worsley captures this bloody love affair very well.” —Independent (London)
“Worsley retells the stories of famous murderers and legendary criminals in
delightfully readable language, with sharp, illuminating comments.” —Literary Review (London)
“This book is a delightful romp through the most iconic staples of Victorian life: Sherlock Holmes, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I recommend reading this at night with a strong cup of tea. Just keep your lights on, and the doors locked.” —Sun News (Miami)
“A brief, absorbing history lesson on how the UK’s obsession with bloody
deeds changed not only methods of law enforcement but fertilized the roots of
modern popular culture.” —Bookgasm
“[A] lively, lucid, and wonderfully lurid history…Worsley’s study takes a
literary spin as she traces the emergence of detective fiction from its roots
in the mid-Victorian ‘sensation’ novel. She dwells at length on the genre’s ‘golden
age’…and subsequently shows how detective fiction gave way to the darker
American-style thriller of the Cold War era. Worsley’s vivid account excites as
much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned
explications.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A]fascinating account…This riveting cultural history will enthrall fans of
British crime novels as well as readers of true crime.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Readers’ initial apprehension that this might be just another list of
sensational crimes, trials, and public hangings quickly fades as the author
exhibits her exceptional knowledge of social and literary England. Her position
as chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower of London,
Kensington Palace, Kew Palace, and other significant British sites, gives her a
broad supply of informative resources. Simply put, murder was the TV of the
Victorian era, an escape from everyday woes—of which there were plenty…Worsley
ably shows how audiences drove writers, actors, and purveyors of news to
satisfy their morbid curiosities.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Anne Flosnik delivers this
excellent overview at a distance, standing slightly apart from the sensational
crimes she’s recounting. Her dispassionate narration focuses on the Brits’
morbid preoccupation with trials and public executions without exaggerating the
melodrama inherent in the theatrical details. An able guide, Flosnik navigates
the years from 1800-1946 via gory newspaper items, garish ‘penny dreadfuls’
based on real crimes, and the rise of true-crime journalism. As a bloodthirsty
English public clamored for even more, a new genre, mystery/detective fiction,
offered opportunities for masters such as Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie,
Dorothy L. Sayers, and Arthur Conan Doyle.” —AudioFile
Worsley's vivid account excites as much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned explications. —Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Author
Author Bio: Lucy Worsley
Lucy Worsley, PhD, is a historian, author, curator, and television presenter. She read ancient and modern history at New College, Oxford, and worked for English Heritage before becoming chief curator of historic royal palaces, based at Hampton Court. She also presents history programs for the BBC. Her bestselling books include A Very British Murder: The Curious Story of how Crime Was Turned into Art, If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, and Courtiers: the Secret History of the Georgian Court, and Cavalier: The Story of a 17th-Century Playboy.
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Details
Details
| Available Formats : | Library CD, MP3 CD |
| Category: | Nonfiction/History |
| Runtime: | 7.10 |
| Audience: | Adult |
| Language: | English |
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