Abstract
This article examines the penny blood The String of Pearls in terms of its treatment of human remains as the equivalent of human excrement, arguing that the serial acts as an intervention into the debate about waste management and treatment in 1840s London.
Highlights
You never quite knew what you were going to find waiting for you if you descended below ground in Victorian London
There are multiple reports of all manner of weird, wonderful and frankly repulsive discoveries made by the men employed to keep the drainage and sewerage systems going
Charged by the Commissioners of Sewers with constructing a new drain under Enon Chapel, in Clement’s Lane, a trip underground was required by the workers
Summary
This article suggests that as a (the?) prominent example of Victorian pulp fiction, The String of Pearls references notorious scandals of the period like Enon Chapel, but participates and intervenes in the discourse of sanitation that so captured the imaginations of the Victorian public, a discourse that took in not just the disposal of corpses, and the management of excrement and slum life, all issues which were of enormous importance to the primary readers of this penny blood: the urban poor. He purchased the chapel, had the cellar excavated and all the remains removed for formal burial in Norwood cemetery in 1847, all with as much publicity as possible, reminding London’s readers of its horrors just as huge numbers of them were reading about St. Dunstan’s, another house of worship chock full of dismembered limbs and skeletons in String
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
