On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2023) |
"On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts" is an essay by Thomas De Quincey first published in 1827 in Blackwood's Magazine. The essay is a fictional, satirical account of an address made to a gentleman's club concerning the aesthetic appreciation of murder. It focuses particularly on a series of murders allegedly committed in 1811 by John Williams in the neighborhood of Ratcliffe Highway, London. The essay was enthusiastically received[1]: xxv and led to numerous sequels, including "A Second Paper on Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts" in 1839 and a "Postscript" in 1854. These essays have exerted a strong influence on subsequent literary representations of crime and were lauded by such critics as G. K. Chesterton, Wyndham Lewis and George Orwell.[1]: xxvi
De Quincey also refers to the Williams murders in his "On the Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth".[citation needed]
The 1964 French film On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts takes its name from the essay.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Morrison, Robert (2006). Introduction to On Murder by Thomas De Quincey. Oxford UP.[full citation needed]
External links
