Modern Murders; The Turn-of-the-Century's Backlash Against Melodramatic and Sensational Representations of Murder, 1880–1914; First Edition

__Modern Murders__ is the first comprehensive study of murder representations during the turn of the century, drawing on previously neglected archival material to explore the intellectual, cultural, and artistic contexts of the period. Most studies view the abundance of murder representations throughout the nineteenth century as an indicator of a supposedly typical Victorian appetite for sensation and melodrama. __Modern Murders__, however, demonstrates the turn of the century's backlash against melodramatic and sensational representations of murder and reads them as an important component in the struggles for better aesthetic standards in art and entertainment, and as a dominant feature in the debates on mass culture. Through a plethora of visual and written texts, representations of fictional and actual "real life" murders, and "high" and "popular" forms of writing, the volume considers the importance of murder in the elite claim to cultural authority versus its perception of plebian taste, in the context of the democratization of culture. This book will be of value to scholars and graduate students in a variety of research areas, as well as general readers interested in the role of murder as a central trope in modern art and culture. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of Figures 7 Acknowledgements 8 Prologue: Knocking at the Gate of Turn-of-the-Century Modernity 10 1. Murder Overkill 24 2. Hilarious Homicides: Satirizing Sensational Murders 45 3. “Craving for Everything that is Impossible in London” 77 4. “The Actual Catastrophe”: Representing Murder on the London Stage 92 5. A Working Class (Tragic) Hero Is Something to Be 112 6. The Many Murders of Stephen Phillips, the Outdated Modernist 132 Epilogue: The Big Bloodless Brawl Prior to the Big Blood Letting 154 Bibliography 162 Index 180 Prologue; 1 Murder Overkill; 2 Hilarious Homicides; 3 “Craving for Everything that is Impossible in London”; 4 “The Actual Catastrophe”; 5 A Working Class (Tragic) Hero Is Something to Be1; "6 The Many Murders of Stephen Phillips,the Outdated Modernist"; Epilogue Prologue,1 Murder Overkill,2 Hilarious Homicides,3 “Craving for Everything that is Impossible in London”,4 “The Actual Catastrophe”,5 A Working Class (Tragic) Hero Is Something to Be1,6 The Many Murders of Stephen Phillips, the Outdated Modernist,Epilogue "Modern Murders is the first comprehensive study of murder representations during the turn of the century, drawing on previously neglected archival material to explore the intellectual, cultural, and artistic contexts of the period. This book will be of value to scholars and graduate students in a variety of research areas, as well as general readers interested in the role of murder as a central trope in modern art and culture"-- Provided by publisher