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  • On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts by Thomas de Quincy book cover
  • On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts by Thomas de Quincy book cover
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On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts

by Thomas de Quincy

Satire on crime and its representation

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Satire on crime and its representation

Thomas de Quincey’s 1827 essay takes the London murders attributed to John Williams in 1811 as the basis for a deliberately satirical discussion of murder’s aesthetics. Black humor shapes its treatment of crime and its impact, turning a real case into material for commentary. The book sits at an intersection of Georgian-era British history and the literary treatment of crime, with the publisher noting its influence on crime, terror, and detective fiction.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Georgian-era British history and the 1811 London murders.
  • Those exploring satirical writing about crime and its cultural representation.
  • Readers interested in the historical development of crime, terror, and detective fiction.

Themes

Crime and its cultural impactSatire and black humorThe aesthetics of murderLiterary history of crime fiction

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"People begin to see that something more goes to the composition of a fine murder than two blockheads to kill and be killed-a knife-a purse-and a dark lane..."

-Thomas De Quincy

 

In On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts (1827), Thomas De Quincy used a series of murders, allegedly committed in London in 1811 by John Williams, as the centerpiece of a satirical essay that whimsically discusses the aesthetics of murder. In this commentary, De Quincy uses black humor to make a tongue-in-cheek statement about the impact of crime. His writing had a remarkable impact on crime, terror, and detective fiction and was praised by critics like G. K. Chesterton and George Orwell.

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