An Exegetical Investigation into the Life and Crimes of Jack the Ripper, explored through the Creative Artefact: Return to Whitechapel: The Ripper’s Knife
Set in the 1950s, my creative artefact, Return to Whitechapel: The Ripper’s Knife, is an illustrated sequel to my 2010 novel, The Streets of Whitechapel, which explored the 1888 crime spree of Jack the Ripper. Return to Whitechapel: The Ripper’s Knife seeks to analyse what became of Jack the Ripper post 1888, and theseries of events that led him back to the streets of Whitechapel some years later. The confession-based narrative attempts to establish a plausible life journey for James Collins, and his doppelganger Jack the Ripper, as they return to the scene of the crimes to attempt to capture a copycat emulating the 1888 murders. The 13 Hyperrealistic illustrations accompanying the narrative represent James’ psychic recollections of his life journey post his 1888 atrocities. The exegetical component of this Doctorate of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) provides an exploration into the life and crimes of my novel’s protagonist, James Collins, aka Jack the Ripper, and the implications of that research when applied to my creative artefact. The exegesis further provides an investigation into the interplay between word and image in the illustrated book, the use of Hyperrealistic illustrations and their contribution to the interpretation of the print text within an illustrated novel.
Description
Submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Creative Arts, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2014.