Fictional Appropriations and De/Mythologizations of Jack the Ripper
Ehemaliger wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
NameHerr Moritz Maier M.A.
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Professur für Englische Literaturwissenschaft
Professur für Englische Literaturwissenschaft
Forged in the media hysteria surrounding a series of murders in 1888, 'Jack the Ripper' quickly transformed into a fictional persona far transcending the mere identity of the never conclusively identified killer. Regardless of whether the Ripper-persona originally was self-styled or constructed by the press, it has taken on a life of its own – a fact to which not only the sheer number of ongoing appearances in narrative fiction, but also the diverse treatments of this character, is testament. Analyzing a wide selection of such texts, this project both chronologically as well as thematically traces the (often starkly) different trajectories of evolution the character has followed since his genesis in order to reveal the reciprocal effects and mechanisms that weave such iconic figures of horror like the Ripper, Dracula, or Jekyll/Hyde into our public consciousness.