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Loading... The London Monster: A Sanguinary Taleby Jan Bondeson
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Jan Bondeson turns his usual meticulous research, logical thinking and clear-headed arguments to the case of the London Monster, who was as sensational in 1790 London as he is obscure today. This criminal approached random women on the street, made lewd remarks, slashed their clothes and tried to stab them in the thighs and buttocks. A man was eventually convicted in the attacks, but his guilt is doubtful at best. This was a thorough account of the case, and concludes with some discussion of other "moral panics" throughout history. I did not find The London Monster as intriguing as Bondeson's books about medical phenomena, however. no reviews | add a review
"The facts in this case are so bizarre that no novelist would have dared to invent them," said the Philadelphia Inquirer. Indeed. A century before Jack the Ripper haunted the streets of London, another predator held sway: a "vulgar-looking man" who slashed at female pedestrians with a knife while uttering profanities with a "tremulous eagerness"--over fifty victims during a two-year crime spree. The city was gripped with fear, outrage, and "Monster mania." The latter was abetted by a £100 reward and by the circulation of bawdy prints that capitalized on the Monster's tendency to slash his victims' buttocks. Armed vigilantes roamed the streets, and fashionable ladies dared not walk outdoors without first strategically placing cooking pots under their dresses. Finally, in June 1790, one Rhynwick Williams was arrested. After two long and ludicrous trials (at one of which he was defended energetically by the eccentric Irish poet Theophilus Swift), Williams was convicted. Was he guilty? Or just unlucky enough to fall into the hands of authorities when they needed someone to pay? Drawing on contemporary evidence and reinterpreting Monster mania in the light of historical and modern instances of mass hysteria, Jan Bondeson recounts with dry wit a tale that occupies a unique place in criminal history and imagination. No library descriptions found. |
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Overall a great study of such a disturbing and absurd episode in criminal history. The narrative doesn't stray, and it definitely kept my attention. There's potential for confusion with so many names involved, but Bondeson successfully navigates the reader through. However, there were noticeable flaws. Often poor word choices appeared as sexist. Bondeson described the Porter sisters as "vivacious" and lucky servant was "supposedly attacked" when emerging unarmed. He is also suspiciously harsh towards the Porters. Finally, second-to-last chapter: The Monster, Epidemic Hysteria, and Moral Panics, is total filler. Still recommend, but this subject definitely needs the Hallie Rubenhold treatment! ( )