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Sarah-Lee
I'm interested in the assertion that I've seen in several places regarding the phrase "Oh, Murder!" being a common exclamation in the LVP . . . in fact something akin to a modern "Oh, expletive!"
I'm no expert on words, but in the Ripper case the discussion has often been about whether such a cry was believable.
In Victorian melodrama one can imagine an actor or actress using the words, but in a theatrical way, with full gestures and imploring looks. But was it something the sort of people who lived on Dorset St would say?
If you were woken up and found a knife hurtling towards you, would you use those words?
On the other hand one might make a case for "Oh!" pause, then a yelled, "MURDER!!!" But that is not how it is recorded.
From my youth in the 50s, I think I recall people saying, "Oh, murder" as a sort of mild cuss-word, at a time when four-letter words and even "bloody" or "blimey" were regarded as much more shocking then they are nowadays.
The options are that, assuming the phrase was spoken at all, it related to:
a) Mary Kelly waking and realising her danger (I think this unlikely)
b) someone entering the room and discovering the body (perhaps even more unlikely)
c) a remark in the street unconnected with the murder of MJK (perhaps more likely now that we know Elizabeth Prater may have occupied a FRONT room overlooking Dorset St).
Phil
I'm interested in the assertion that I've seen in several places regarding the phrase "Oh, Murder!" being a common exclamation in the LVP . . . in fact something akin to a modern "Oh, expletive!"
I'm no expert on words, but in the Ripper case the discussion has often been about whether such a cry was believable.
In Victorian melodrama one can imagine an actor or actress using the words, but in a theatrical way, with full gestures and imploring looks. But was it something the sort of people who lived on Dorset St would say?
If you were woken up and found a knife hurtling towards you, would you use those words?
On the other hand one might make a case for "Oh!" pause, then a yelled, "MURDER!!!" But that is not how it is recorded.
From my youth in the 50s, I think I recall people saying, "Oh, murder" as a sort of mild cuss-word, at a time when four-letter words and even "bloody" or "blimey" were regarded as much more shocking then they are nowadays.
The options are that, assuming the phrase was spoken at all, it related to:
a) Mary Kelly waking and realising her danger (I think this unlikely)
b) someone entering the room and discovering the body (perhaps even more unlikely)
c) a remark in the street unconnected with the murder of MJK (perhaps more likely now that we know Elizabeth Prater may have occupied a FRONT room overlooking Dorset St).
Phil
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