Murder and Representation, 5 cr

This course examines the question of murder and representation, with a special focus on gender issues. We will concentrate on one type of murder, serial murder, as a cultural narrative from the end of the 19th century to the present. During the course we will analyse the cultural imagery and social contexts of serial killing in Britain and the United States. In particular, we will try to answer this question: how are gender and “normalcy” constructed through murder and crime narratives? We will start with the case of Jack the Ripper - the first “modern” serial killer - and his victims, and move on to representations of male and female psychopaths. We will explore such different genres as films and documentary programmes as well as texts written by FBI agents, serial killers and psychiatrists. We will also read three novels: Robert Bloch’s Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, and Helen Zahavi’s Dirty Weekend.