The Depiction of Serial Killers in Fiction

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2013 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 1,0, Universität zu Köln (Englisches Seminar I), Veranstaltung: Thin Lines. The Private and the Public Self., Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The main focus of this paper lies on the depiction of serial killers in fictional works. Many fictional serial killers were inspired by real-life serial killers and therefore the lines between the realms of fiction and reality are quite often blurred. This is why the paper starts with addressing real-life serial killers. Their status as a popular culture phenomenon as well as their relation to fictional serial killers is to be examined. The topic then shifts to serial killer fiction and the role of the serial killer in serial killer fiction. In order for this paper to be not limited to theoretical reflections only, it ends with a brief examination and comparison of two at first glance very different fictional serial killers: Frankenstein's monster and Dexter.