Rutherford, Helen (2018) George Vass: The role of the Newcastle press in the making and un-making of a monster. In: 1868: A Civilizing Moment? Reflecting on 150 Years since the Abolition of Public Execution, 6 June 2018, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
This paper explores the role of the Victorian press in Newcastle constructing – and subsequently deconstructing - a criminal character. In Newcastle upon Tyne in 1863, George Vass was tried, found guilty, and hanged for wilful murder. Contemporary newspaper accounts refer to Vass’s lack of emotional response during his trial and sentence. This in turn led many newspaper reports to describe Vass as without feeling, a bad character or a ‘monster’. However, by the time of his execution, he had transformed into an ‘unfortunate man, whose lot it was to die the death of a dog’. This paper examines the newspaper accounts, and the seeming redemption of Vass, and considers the role of the press in establishing a criminal identity for the contemporary readership.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | L900 Others in Social studies |
| Department: | Faculties > Business and Law > Northumbria Law School |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | Becky Skoyles |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2018 12:02 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Oct 2019 20:00 |
| URI: | http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/35002 |
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