Newgate Novels - Shadow of the Malefactor
True crime and its evolutionary fiction have always existed, from Allen Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, to modern true crime such as “The Death of Us”, by Abigail Dean. Its residual effects permeate modern literature and have taken readers by storm with its psychological depth. However, we must consider where such effects stem from. In the 18th century, a new type of crime fiction stole the attention of a nation and cast a permanent shadow over the stylistic delivery of crime writing, still seen in modern literature. Newgate novels weren’t just crime stories, they were a widespread obsession, which drew a grey line between heroes and villains, and fostered an unexpected fascination for the people that a reader would otherwise fear. Fascination morphed into admiration, gripping the people of Victorian London, and leaving its traces throughout the representation of crime in literature forever after. Named after a notorious prison in London, Newgate novels evoke the moral conflict surrounding prisoners present in an anxiety-ridden society.
Before its destruction, Newgate prison published the “Newgate calendar”, otherwise known as the “Malefactor’s Bloody Register”, a series of novels written by Andrew Knapp and William Baldwin which entailed glamorised narratives of real and crafted inmates’ lives, crimes, confessions, and escapes. Highlighting sinful acts with a sense of sympathy in such an orthodox society created a plethora of contrasting opinions. Their popularity stemmed partially from the anticipation of waiting for their next novel, and further because of the moral and social controversy it provoked, whereas critics applied the slur “Newgate novels” to such texts in the 1830’s/40’s, condemning them as lascivious texts appealing to humanity’s basest drives.
Following such, detective/crime novels became a sensation. Works such as “Oliver Twist” [1] and “Rookwood” [2] emerged from such inspiration, a pattern which continued until 1840, when Lord William Russell was murdered. Rumours spread that his murderer was his valet, who was inspired by the violence and sensation of Newgate novels, which motivated his attack. From then on, Newgate novels maintained a negative reputation, yet their traits can be seen in gothic, crime, and detective literature from as early as the early 19th century, such as “My Strangest Case” [3]
The political tumult that Newgate novels generated regarding the representation of crime is still permeated within modern day literature and media. From the sympathy towards villains, their humanisation, to providing them with a backstory through which we sympathise, becoming a voyeur of the malcontent has appealed to audiences worldwide.
References;
[1] https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/730
[2] https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23564
[3] https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10585
The Newgate Novel - Victorian Literature - Oxford Bibliographies
Newgate novel - The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Newgate novel | English literature | Britannica
Emma Shuttleworth
