by Conan Doyle · Cluster: War and Empire · History · Nationalism and Patriotism
Abstract
A nonfiction case-study essay on a real Victorian murder: a sensitive, unworldly young man, jilted by his fiancee Mary Groves under family pressure, stabs her to death during a final meeting and calmly confesses, provoking a legal debate over his sanity. Doyle uses the letters and trial record to examine the psychology of the ‘passionate criminal’ driven by disappointed love rather than greed.
Capitoli / Chapters
Connections
Forms & Genres: Essay, Nonfiction Themes & Concepts: Crime and Punishment, Justice Right and Wrong, Jealousy, Madness, Revenge, Guilt, History Motifs: Letters and Writing, Blood, Secrets Historical References: Victorian England Settings: Rural England, Industrial City Archetypes: Villain, Avenger