True Crime, An American Anthology

[murielm99]

by Harold Schecter.

Has anyone read this? It is a huge book, more than seven hundred pages.

It spans the history of the New World, from Bradford's account of the hanging of someone who came over on the Mayflower, to Dominic Dunne. It includes authors like Damon Runyon, James Thurber and Ann Rule.

Fascination with true crime writing has been around since before movable type. Ballads and broadsides often recounted the the most notorious crimes.

The editor attempts to account for our love of the lurid. In his introduction, he states that Durkheim felt that the criminal contributes to civic well-being by promoting solidarity among the law-abiding and providing a cathartic outlet for our primal vengeful impulses. Society needs to know exactly what crimes have been committed and how the guilty are punished.

That might explain some of our craving for true crime stories. Or is it simply the lure of the forbidden? Maybe. Over the years, the public has purchased many newspapers that contained the sensational stories of gruesome crimes. Pulp magazines flourished.

The editor states that that changed with the publication of In Cold Blood, by Capote. True crime has become respectable literature.

People read about true crime for many reasons. They are titillated, they identify with the victims, they want to understand how the criminal mind works, how people can do the things they do to each other, they want to see justice prevail.

The first parts of the book, such as the writings of Cotton Mather, are much more difficult to read. Maybe many of you will want to read selectively. But please do try to find this book if you can.

[XanaDUer]

1. Not yet, but thanks.

Will see if the local PL has it; if not, Amazon it is.

[livetohike]

2. Thanks for the tip

I will look for it this week :hi:.