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| Example of a Penny Dreadful serial. |
If you are a horror fan then you may well be aware of the television series, Penny Dreadful, which was recently rebooted. The shows (the original and reboot) chronicle the misadventures of young women who face off against and along side criminal and supernatural entities, all while engaging in deviant acts (e.g. premarital sex, gambling, drug use, etc.) in order to save the day. What you may not be familiar with is the origins of the term “penny dreadful” and the original stories that inspired the show. This blog post will explore the true story of the “penny dreadful” serials, a popular genre of Victorian literature that affected 19th century English culture and society.
Beginning in the 1830s and as a direct result of state mandated education for all levels of society publishing houses began mass producing cheap serials that sold at around a penny a piece. Coined the “penny dreadfuls” due to their content and cost, these serials showcased horrific tales of the macabre, providing readers a glimpse into the criminal underworld and the supernatural realms. The tales portrayed the fantastic adventures of working-class characters who indulged in dark fantasies of revenge, sex, murder, and more. The readers, many of whom were working class themselves, saw themselves in the characters and took to reading the serials as a means of escaping the harsh realities they were living in. Additionally, the relatively low cost of the serials also made them attractive to the working class as they could not afford other literature options since they were priced outside of their purchasing power.
Eventually the popularity of the serials moved
beyond the working poor to the upper classes of Victorian society, resulting in a change in how the term was used. Penny dreadful referred not only to the serials but anyone who took on a sour or pessimistic attitude. The term was a pejorative or negative slur meant to discourage individuals from thinking so negatively about the world.
As the penny dreadful writers realized the popularity of their works and who their audiences were the tales evolved and began to showcase the deviant characters participating in a variety of actions that were deemed exclusive to the upper class/nobility: heroic acts. The beloved characters were committing atrocious and criminal acts in the name of justice. Criminals committed crimes to feed their families, vampires turned loved ones into blood sucking fiends because they could not live without them, and a woman turned murder victims into meat pies in order to run her business (yes, Sweeney Todd started in the penny dreadful serials).
This change in story began a moral panic among conservatives who felt that the serials were inspiring and encouraging real life criminal and immoral acts among the working class, including but not limited to theft, suicide, and even murders. Instead of addressing the root causes of these issues (e.g. poverty, mental and physical health issues, starvation, etc.) they laid the sole blame for the immoral and criminal behaviors of the working poor on the penny dreadful serials. Beginning in the 1870s and into the 1890s publishing houses were raided and penny dreadful serials destroyed. Publishers, in part due to the raids and terrible press, began distancing themselves from the original stories, rebranding the serials. These eventually gave rise of pulp fiction magazines and true crime genres that remain popular today. Ultimately, the penny dreadful serials had a profound effect not only on literature but on social views and every day language of the Victoria Period.
Bibliography
Anderson, Hephzibah. "The shocking tale of the penny dreadful." BBC 1 May 2016. Electronic.
Casey, Christopher A. "Common Misperceptions: The Press and Victorian Views of Crime." The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 1 December 2010: 367–391. Print.
Flanders, Judith. Penny dreadfuls (The British Library). 15 May 2014. Electronic. 15 June 2021.
Summerscale, Kate. "Penny dreadfuls: the Victorian equivalent of video games." The Guardian 30 April 2016. Electronic.
9 comments:
I never heard of the television series " Penny Dreadful" but reading this article made me want to watch the series because I love supernatural realms. Criminals doing crimes to save their families made me want to read the book because there's nothing I wouldn't do for my family. I loved how this article makes the tv show sound like a comic boo.
When I was growing up, I didn't know television shows such as "Penny Dreadful." As I was reading this article at first I thought those people who were doing bad things were wrong for doing that. But as I read it again, I understood why they did it. One reason was that these people had to support their families and feed them. Another reason was some of the people didn't want to live without their family members, therefore they turned the family members into vampires as well. Reading this article made me look at the world differently.
AJ Moore
The change in histroy began a moral pandemic among conservation who felt that serials were inspring. This change and history changed many people. Vampires turned loved ones into blood sucking fiens because they could not live without them.
Ryan Saxton
In my opinion, this article touched the beginning of real life scenarios that sculpted the prejudice that plague our society today. With the story revolving around the middle class, (same average middle class American today) and the richer class that played the anti hero or antagonist. Leading away to popular shows that many people around the world enjoy today.
I've never seen this TV show, but I've seen something similar to it. In the serial, it mentioned, "Criminals committed crimes to feed their families," which is identical to what I saw. The show I watched talk about a man who was poor and didn't have a house when he was little, so as he grew up, he turned ciminal and built a city for poor people to aid them. -Hiba A.
I find this article very informative. In terms of how the penny press's were monitored and cracked down on only when they influenced the wealthy. I find it funny that papers made for the middle class also didn't report the actual news and how people of the time, and even today, fail to care.
-Gavin G
Penny Dreadful gives individuals opportunities to engage in conduct that tells unique stories. Incorporating a lot of dynamics throughout the storyline gives people a chance to unfold the story as they see fit. These 19th century affordable stories led to extensive times that were portrayed to the people of Victorian society. People could envision themselves and fantasize as if it was a way for them to escape from the real world into another time or dimension. They were able to have that chance of pretending to be free of everything in the real world and dream big in their own way. Low working class people were able to engage in activities that indulged them but were also seen as acts that represented good faith in the decisions they made. These acts were shown in several ways such as criminal behavior, sexual behavior and much more. People started to address the ideas that the stories expressed which caused fear and panic amongst the people because they were seen as encouraging individuals to behave in a negative way in the real world. They were afraid that these tales would lead to vicious violence. The debate whether Penny Dreadful influenced and supported criminal conduct is questionable as it brought conflict in society. Penny Dreadful was misrepresented and their image needed a turn around due to the horrible actions that came from some of the tales. Penny Dreadful had an effect on individuals in a good and bad way and will always hold a vital role in the evolution of the Victorian times.
In my opinion, this article was so understandable especially in the beginning this relates so much to what happens in todays time period. Prejudice has always been a thing and how higher class held better positions in life. This gave many people hope that others never had. Which leads people to sacrificing or doing whatever to protect or help their families.
It's noteworthy to hear how publishing companies created Penny Dreadfuls in the 1830s to appeal to readers in the working class. It provides insightful historical background for comprehending the rise of this literary genre and its attraction to particular readerships. The description of Penny Dreadfuls as low-cost serials with scary and macabre stories accurately captures their unique qualities and themes. This portrayal emphasizes the genre's emphasis on drama and its capacity to draw readers in with its macabre stories.
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