Ripperature: Building the Myth
What do you think of when you hear "Jack the Ripper"? In 1888, five women, Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Kelly, were murdered and mutilated in London’s East End. Though scholars debate the validity of this claim, contemporary Victorian newspapers reported the women as sex workers, and that characterization continues today. The Whitechapel Murder narrative is inseparable from sexual violence against women. Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in the Western world and is continually referenced in fiction like “The Whitechapel Murders; Or, An American Detective in London” (1889), television shows like R...
Episodes
Introduction to Season Two
She's backkkkk! Join me as I start a new season with just as much heart but a lot more winging it. In this episode, we orient ourselves towards the new season. Throughout the next couple of episodes, we'll explore the crimes of two Victoria…
Episode Ten: Conclusion
Well, here we are! It’s the final episode of this season. Today, we’ll recap our arguments and reflect on the journey.Works Cited can be found on my website.Audio Credits:Audio CreditsTheme Music: Victor_Natas. "Foggy Passage." Free Sound,…
Episode Nine: From Hell
In the last episode of our detective chapter, we examine the movie From Hell and a fictional version of the historical detective involved in the actual case, Detective Abberline. We also discuss how the victims are portrayed in this film an…
Episode Eight: Stalking Jack the Ripper
It’s time! In this episode, we discuss the very popular book Stalking Jack the Ripper and how the protagonist/forensic detective is a complicated portrayal of neo-Victorian gender. Works cited can be found on my website.Voice Actors: Olivia…
Episode Seven: A Study in Terror
Today, we’ll explore a film called A Study in Terror, which combines two very famous Victorian figures, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. In this episode, we talk about how one of the most popular detective figures mirrors what we know a…
Episode Six: Ripperature Detectives
In our first episode on detectives, we walk through some common detective tropes, the dependence of Ripperature on those tropes, and the dime novel “The Whitechapel Murders: Or, On the Track of the Fiend” (published in 1888).Works cited ca…
Episode Five: The Michaelmas Girls
In our final episode on Jill the Ripper, we examine perhaps one of the more difficult texts, The Michaelmas Girls, to discuss Jill the Ripper’s violence. In this episode, an unofficial detective figure suspects Mary Jane Kelly of participat…
Episode Four: Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde
In this episode, Gracie leads you through the cinematic masterpiece Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde, which combines Jill the Ripper with another famous culture-text, Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We talk about the intertextual nature of the Jac…
Episode Three: Jill Rips
Who else had Dolph Lundgren on their 2024 Ripperature bingo card? In this episode, we look at the 2000 film Jill Rips and its portrayal of Jill the Ripper. We talk about perhaps one of the more unlikable protagonists, Matt, and his relation…
Check-in
Hi, everyone! Just to update everyone, I won't be publishing any more episodes until I graduate this semester. Don't worry! I am continuing to record and edit the rest of the season. See you soon!Theme music: Victor_Natas, "Foggy Passage" (…
Episode Two: Jill the Ripper
In the second episode of this season, Gracie introduces one of the more popular theories of the Whitechapel Murderer’s identity, Jill the Ripper. After briefly establishing the historical context for this theory, we talk about Victorian gen…
Introduction to Ripperature: Building the Myth
Welcome to Ripperature: Building the Myth! In this episode, Gracie introduces Jack the Ripper as a culture-text, briefly explains the five women canonically characterized as victims of Jack the Ripper, and places you within the theoretical …
Trailer: Season One
What do you think of when you hear "Jack the Ripper"? In 1888, five women, Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Kelly, were murdered and mutilated in London’s East End. Though scholars debate the valid…