Investigating The Relationship Between The Actual...

This paper will attempt to examine the relationship between the actual reporting of the murders during the time with retellings of the murders in modern popular culture. It will therefore examine sources from the 19th century onward. It will explore both facts and legends associated with the mysterious figure of Jack the Ripper. Public responses both in the original reporting and feedback to modern films will be addressed. This will coincide with the cultural significance of these crimes and how it continues today. The cultural phenomenon of Jack the Ripper will be addressed in how this both fuels the media coverage and how the media fills a desire in its audience. Direct comparisons will be made in some cases to the portrayal of actual†¦show more content†¦There is also quite simply the gruesome nature of these crimes. It is not just Jack the Ripper, but rather all serial killers and general criminals that attract the attention of a variety of audiences. In humanity’s diametrically opposed worldview, crimes are seen as being committed by delinquents, and criminals are vastly different from the average â€Å"good† person. Therefore outlandish and egregious crimes carry more interest in the media. According to a study by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, less than one percent of murders are committed annually by serial killers as opposed to 12.5 percent of murders that are committed by members of one’s own family. And yet, domestic violence stories are often d ismissed fairly quickly by the media, precisely because of their frequency. Because of this, it is not so much the unknown quantity of Jack the Ripper that generates such broad appeal but rather the rarity of these uniquely horrendous crimes themselves. The histrionics of the retellings have escalated with the times much as they did with the original reportings from the first murder to the last. This tale is as much about the Ripper himself, with his grotesque crimes and unknown identity, as it is about the human condition and psyche. As Coville and Lucanio note, it is â€Å"also Brundeen, 3 the story of the human passion to voyeuristically follow in the Ripper’s footsteps†. Details, both of Jack the Ripper