What does “canonical 5” mean?

“Canonical 5” refers to the five women killed by Jack the Ripper: Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly.

What this newsletter is

An exploration of a Victorian culture that forced working class women into the margins of society, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and murder.

It’s also a deconstruction of the mythos surrounding the notorious Whitechapel Murderer within literature, film and popular culture.

What it isn’t

A repository of conspiracy theories. I won’t attempt to unmask Jack the Ripper in these pages. There are countless of other places to go for that sort of thing, both online and in the endless parade of books on the subject.

This newsletter won’t pore over the grisly details of the murders. I’m not interested in the minutiae of the mutilations perpetrated on women who had little recourse.

Why start this newsletter?

In the beginning of the pandemic, I started writing a novel (working title: The Cotton Weaver) about a working-class woman striving to reconnect with her estranged daughter against the backdrop of the Whitechapel Murders.

The research I did encouraged me to start JacktheRipperVictims.com, which, in turn, led to this newsletter.