Worsley a, Lucy (2001). TheArchitecturalPatronageofWilliamCavendish,firstDukeofNewcastle,1593–1676 (D.Phil. thesis) . Retrieved 1 April 2013. This was an interesting exploration into the fascination of the English with murder and real life crime and of the development of the mystery genre in English literature. Worsley reveals how real-life crimes led to a type of public, obsessive fascination and a form of national entertainment that were eventually the inspirations for novels, plays, and other artistic works. She credits the early English author, Thomas De Quincey, for postulating the idea of "murder as a performance that raised expectations in the public mind." Crime and murder were discovered to provide public entertainment that "would thrill, horrify, and delight" leading to the popularity of the mystery novel. Worsley describes the various mystery authors who arose in the 19th century, the depiction of policing (which early on was slipshod), the rise of the detective, newly discovered scientific means of investigating and solving a crime or murder and discusses how authors created stories that encapsulated the horror, the thrill and finally the revealing of the culprit. Worsley discusses the early "sensation" crime novels, the more cerebral "Golden Age" mystery with its formulaic pattern, and leads into the modern hardcore thriller that is criticized by George Orwell. While this book is a history of the English murder mystery, Worsley's style is not pedantic, but engaging with some humor along the way and informative of new knowledge and insights gained by this reader. The book is based on a BBC presentation which I would like to watch and I am interested in reading her book, Jane Austen at Home. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction but I was attracted to this because it came up as a book club choice just after I had enjoyed several Lucy Worsley documentaries. And there is the fact that the subject matter includes Agatha Christie. Judith Flanders' The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime (2010); Rosalind Crone's Violent Victorians (2012); Matthew Sweet's Inventing the Victorians(2001) ; P. D. James' Talking about Detective Fiction (2009); and Julian Symons' Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel (1972). LucyWorsleyuncoversthetruestoriesofVictorianwomenaccusedofmurderinanewpodcastandseries". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre . Retrieved 13 March 2022.

A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley | Waterstones A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley | Waterstones

Worsley describes the fact that hangings and murders provided entertainment to the public, even so much so that the people bought trinkets as souvenirs. Continuing on with the entertainment theme, Worsley introduces sensational journalism, the theatre, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, a puppet show, and detective fiction. In addition, she talks about the founding of the organized police force, detective work, ‘Penny Bloods’ (the precursor to crime fiction), poisonings, and forensic science. Wintle, Angela (12 April 2013). "LucyWorsley:Myfamilyvalues". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 November 2016. Also looking at crime fiction from Holmes to Christie to Sayers amongst others, this was a fascinating insight into crime and our different obsessions with it. I admittedly have not watched the television show that this is accompanies but I may have to rectify that.How many elderly ladies in vicarages solved crime puzzles in the 1930s, anyway? Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley isn't exactly what I would deem a "cozy" lady. Yes, there was Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in The Murder at the Vicarage (1930), but this was in fact the only Miss Marple novel that appeared prior to the outbreak of WW2 (she also appeared in one collection of short stories). Carpani, Jessica (25 March 2016). "HistorianLucyWorsley:Mylifeineightobjects". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 22 October 2016. If you are interested in Crime, both as fiction and as reality, especially in how it affects the public psyche, then you will certainly find a lot to appreciate here.

A Very British Murder : The Story of a National Obsession A Very British Murder : The Story of a National Obsession

In 2011, Worsley presented the four-part television series If Walls Could Talk, exploring the history of British homes, from peasants' cottages to palaces; and the three-part series Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency. In 2012 she co-presented the three-part television series Antiques Uncovered, with antiques and collectibles expert MarkHill, [13] and (broadcast at the same time) Harlots, Housewives and Heroines, a three-part series on the lives of women after the Civil War and the RestorationofCharlesII. [14] Later that year she presented a documentary on DorothyHartley's Food in England as part of the BBC Four "Food and Drink" strand.In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court. [24] [25] In 2017, Worsley published a biography of JaneAusten titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography. [26] MiltonManor–LucyWorsley". LucyWorsley.com. Archived from theoriginal on 14 May 2014 . Retrieved 13 May 2014.

A Very British Murder - Worsley, Lucy: 9781849906517 - AbeBooks A Very British Murder - Worsley, Lucy: 9781849906517 - AbeBooks

Wadsworth, Jo (13 July 2015). "TVhistoriangivenhonorarySussexUnidegree". Brighton and Hove News . Retrieved 20 July 2015. Siobhan Palmer (25 February 2015). "ClaudiaWinklemannominatedforRTSawardforhernewroleas Strictlypresenter". TheDailyTelegraph . Retrieved 17 March 2015.

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I also love my Brit-Box-(Worsely has a television version of this book currently airing on this service) and Acorn TV subscriptions too. Great crime series- from dark and gritty to light and cozy. As she moves into the twentieth century, Worsley largely pulls away from true crime to concentrate on the fictional. She discusses the Golden Age authors in some depth, giving almost mini-biographies of some of them, particularly Dorothy L Sayers. She argues (as others have done) that the Golden Age puzzle with its fairly defined rules developed as a response to the horrors of WW1 and fed into a society that wanted something a bit cosier than the blood-curdling melodramas of the past. She discusses how class and gender were represented in these novels, but keeps the tone light – though it’s clearly well-researched, this book never reads like an academic study.