Author: Yazoo
Monday, 23 April 2001 - 02:32 pm |        |
I thought I would offer this title for anyone curious about the social and legal impact of dying poor during Victorian times, especially after the passage of the 1832 Anatomy Act.
This title probably has particular relevance to the infamous "Lusk kidney" debate but may also, inferentially, inspire discussion on what JtR did to his victims and what MAY have been part of the fear he caused.
Example Quote of Interest: "The full meaning of the pauper funeral has entered the sphere of myth. Though it has a sound grounding in objective truth, the fact of dissection which stands behind its ["a pauper's funeral"] fearsome reputation become cloaked in silence. Over the course of Victoria's reign, the fact that the misfortune of poverty could qualify a person for dismemberment after death became too intensely painful for contemplation; became taboo. The memory went underground of a fate literally unspeakable."
Title: Death, Dissection and the Destitute
2nd edition
Author: Ruth Richardson
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0-226-71239-7 (cloth)
0-226-71240-0 (paper)
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Anyone interested in crime in England, at any point in time but also covering the period of JtR, might want to locate the works of Clive Emsley. He has published and edited several books on English crime and criminology in general. |
Author: Mark List
Monday, 23 April 2001 - 03:05 pm | |
Yazoo,
Am I to understand that your saying that its possible Jack killed and dissected his victims for funeral purposes?I'm not sure what you mean, but I'd love to understand.I'm of the opinion that the Ripper was simple a man who most likely had a bad childhood or was spurned in some way, that he lashed out at the easiest and most accessible victims. and when dismembering them was acting out a fantasy of ultimate control and power that he did not have in reality.
Your thoughts?
Mark |
Author: Yazoo
Monday, 23 April 2001 - 05:32 pm | |
Hey Mark:
I was just suggesting this title and pointing out a POSSIBLE use as background material for any discussion on the "Lusk kidney" debate -- whether it was a hoax by medical students/pathologists/etc.
After reading your post, I wouldn't have offered any other suggestions for the book's use in any other discussion so as not to mislead anyone.
As to your ideas on JtR's motives, I can't say if you're right or wrong.
Sorry.
Yaz |
Author: Mark List
Monday, 23 April 2001 - 09:01 pm | |
True, very true.
Most people feel that there was SOMETHING about Jack that set him apart from other killers, and I don't entirely agree or disagree.
However; I, personally, am trying not to let myself get sucked into the whole "bogey man" myth.
Cheers,
Mark |
Author: Yazoo
Monday, 23 April 2001 - 09:33 pm | |
Hey Mark:
It sounds like you have the right idea as to how to "look" at JtR. Beware of preconceptions and never...I mean ever, now, let yourself get so stuck on one certain thing you can never let yourself even try to look at it in another way. If you can do that, you, out of all of us here, may one day find the best answers.
Good luck in your search, Mark...from one Mark to another!
Yaz
aka Mark Warren |
Author: Mark List
Tuesday, 24 April 2001 - 01:29 am | |
Cheers Mate,
Next round's on me...
-M |
Author: Mark List
Tuesday, 24 April 2001 - 01:33 am | |
Don't worry, that's the last thing I want to do, that's why I'm attempting to look at him as just a killer, not a Monster out of the mind of H.P. Lovecraft (a great horror/sci-fi writer).
Cheers,
Mark |
Author: stephen stanley
Tuesday, 24 April 2001 - 07:19 am | |
Hi, Mark,
It's a great idea...The east end as Innsmouth...A strange half-human creature coming out of the Thames to sacrifice to Cthulu(now see what you've started!)
Steve S. |
Author: Mark List
Tuesday, 24 April 2001 - 01:25 pm | |
Oh my goodness!
I didn't mean it that way--however; I AM a writer, and I'm already publishing a book of poetry and short stories (horror stories)
I even have a poem about JtR in there.
I got the idea after I saw the "Jack The Ripper" mini-series staring Michael Caine.
Mark
As for Lovecraft, I'm thinking more like "The Dunwich Horror" with a dash of "Rats in the Walls" |
