Victorian Sensation - Or the Spectacular, the Shocking and the Scandalous in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Paperback)

Praise for the hardback edition: "enthralling... Diamond tackles his theme with verve and skill." -- Sunday Times "a well-sourced and well-illustrated survey ..Diamond shows that the Victorians were not "monsters of repression and restraint" but resembled us in their love of scandal and excess." -- Times Literary Supplement "a lively and fascinating survey.. richly informative.. this book is a great and not-to-be missed treat for anyone with an interest in Victorian cultural history." -- The Dickensian The extraordinary phenomenon of sensation' characterised the Victorian age. The nineteenth century saw an explosion in printed media, as newspapers became cheap, nationally distributed and easily accessible to all classes. Drawing on a wealth of primary material, Michael Diamond explores the stories that impacted on Victorian society through the eyes of the contemporary media. In revealing the pervasiveness of sensation, Diamond sheds light on the Victorian appetite for gruesome and explicit reportage on murders and sex scandal, from sensational characters such as the serial poisoner William Palmer to notorious cases such as the Cleveland Street affair, which implicated prominent politicians and royalty. At the same time, stars of entertainment from Charles Dickens to Jumbo the Elephant are viewed against the contemporary contexts of music hall and the popular press that both documented and provoked contemporary reaction. The reporting of sensations in a manner designed to attract the widest possible audience and maximize sales dramatically shaped the relationship between the media and the public. Michael Diamond's passionate analysis of the period, from political sleaze and scandal toWest End hits and the feel-good' factor, demonstrates how the reporting methods of today's popular media have their origins in the Victorian press. By turns amusing, poignant and tragic, Victorian Sensation shows that sensation was as integral a part of society in the nineteenth century as it is today.