Grab a lantern to light the way, as we explore the gory and gothic world of Penny Dreadfuls. Meet creatures that slash people to bits, murderous bakers, killer vampires, and unscrupulous neer-do-wells.

The Victorian slang term of the day is sure to leave you in a bit of a pickle.

Music By: David Fesilyan & David Renda

Sources:

Troy. Youth of Darkest England: Working-Class Children at the Heart of Victorian Empire. New York: Routledge, 2005. “The Effects of Reading Penny Dreadfuls.” Dundee Courier. June 17, 1896. Hitchman, Francis. “Penny Fiction.” The Quarterly Review. Vol. 171. London: John Murray, 1890. “How to Counteract the Penny Dreadful.” The Review of Reviews Annual. Vol. XII. London: Mowbray House, 1895. Mackay, T. “Penny Dreadfuls.” Time: A Monthly Magazine of Current Topics, Literature, & Art. Vol. VIII. London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1888. “That Poor Penny Dreadful.” Punch. Vol. CVIII. London: Fleet Street, 1895. “The Poor Little Penny Dreadful.” The Speaker. Vol. XII. London: Fleet Street, 1895. The Publisher’s Circular. Vol. LXIII. London: Samson, Low, Marston, & Co., 1895. The Publishers Circular. Vol. LXIV. London: Samson, Low, Marston, & Co., 1896. Sutherland, John. The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. New York: Routledge, 1988. Wright, Thomas. “On a Possible Popular Culture.” The Contemporary Review. Vol. XL. London: Strahan & Co, 1881.

https://www.thepassivevoice.com/penny-dreadfuls/

https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/penny-dreadfuls

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160502-the-shocking-tale-of-the-penny-dreadful