The Politics of Victimhood and Representation in Crime Literature

This dissertation project investigates representations of victimhood across the genres of crime fiction and true crime literature through case studies that illuminate the intersection of identity, representations of victimhood, and audiences’ understandings of victimhood. As Rebecca Wanzo argues in The Suffering Will Not Be Televised, sentimental political storytelling allows only certain victims’ suffering to be read as legible; historically, the “perfect victim” (one whose identity is readily legible) has primarily been middle-class and white. In this study, I argue that in the “popular” true crime genre, victims (those who are often remembered by the United States public) are primarily white children and white women. I then trace how contemporary authors, namely Louise Erdrich and Colson Whitehead, challenge these limitations of victimhood. I hope that such a study not only critiques the framework that allows certain identities a space of visibility while denying that access to others, but that it also highlights the ways in which ethical rhetorical framing and techniques of sympathy can lead to paths for justice.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Dennis, Megan Lea

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Anatol, Giselle

• American literature
• Ethnic studies
• Women's studies
• Crime Literature
• Gender
• Race
• Sentimental Storytelling
• Sympathy
• Victimhood

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:19148

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/38779