Overview
- Uses the Moors Murders as an example for exploring social, media and cultural responses to serial murder and violence
- Offers a truly multi-dimensional analysis of the themes surrounding serial killers and the media, including exploring the modern fixation on celebrity and serial killers
- Draws upon other international serial killer case studies
- Discusses the recent death of Ian Brady
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture (PSCMC)
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About this book
This book examines the media and cultural responses to the awful crimes of Brady and Hindley, whose murders provided a template for future media reporting on serial killers. It explores a wide variety of topics relating to the Moors Murders case including: the historical and geographical context of the murders, the reporting of the case and the unique features which have become standard for other murder cases e.g. nicknames for the serial killers, and it discusses the nature of evil and psychopaths and how they are represented in film, drama, novels and art. It also questions the ethics of the “serial killing industry” and how the modern cultural fixation on celebrity has extended to serial killers, and it explores the impact on the journalists and police officers from being involved in such cases including some interviews with them. The treatment of Brady and Hindley by the media also raises profound questions about the nature of punishment including the links between mentalillness and crime and whether there is ever the prospect of redemption. This book draws on cultural studies, criminology, sociology and socio-legal studies to offers a multi-dimensional analysis of the impact of this case and then uses this as a basis for the analysis of more recent cases such as the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe and Harold Shipman.
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Keywords
Table of contents (10 chapters)
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Ian Cummins is Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford, UK. His research focuses on mental health issues in the Criminal Justice System.
Marian Foley is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Her research focuses on the impact of sexual violence on women and children.
Martin King is Principal Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His research focuses on masculinity, celebrity, fandom and popular culture.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Serial Killers and the Media
Book Subtitle: The Moors Murders Legacy
Authors: Ian Cummins, Marian Foley, Martin King
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04876-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-04875-4Published: 25 January 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-04876-1Published: 17 January 2019
Series ISSN: 2946-3912
Series E-ISSN: 2946-3920
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VI, 211
Topics: Popular Science in Law, Crime and the Media, Victimology, Popular Culture, Violence and Crime