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Reading and Writing About Serial Killing and Serial Killers

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture ((PSCMC))

Abstract

This chapter will consider society’s ongoing fascination with violent crime, particularly sexual crimes against women and children. It will focus on the development of the true crime genre. The Moors Murders case has been the subject of a number of such treatments; this genre seeks to or makes the claim that it will provide the definitive story of a particular crime—usually a serial killer or rapist. The conventions of the genre raise a number of ethical, philosophical and moral issues. The narrative structure of true crime focuses on the perpetrator, whereas victims and their families are marginalised. They become minor characters appearing briefly before disappearing from the narrative having been subjected to degradation and violent assault.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford, UK

    Ian Cummins

  2. Department of Social Care and Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Marian Foley

  3. Department of Health Care Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Martin King

Authors
  1. Ian Cummins
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  2. Marian Foley
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  3. Martin King
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Correspondence to Ian Cummins .

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Cummins, I., Foley, M., King, M. (2019). Reading and Writing About Serial Killing and Serial Killers. In: Serial Killers and the Media. Palgrave Studies in Crime, Media and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04876-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04876-1_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04875-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04876-1

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

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