YOLA 09B: 19th-Century Paperback Lit - p2

feature
Verb to have or include something as an important part
featured
From the 1830s to 1850s, penny bloods featured tales of gore.
depict
Verb to describe someone or something using words, a story, etc.
depicted
The tales often depicted the upper class as corrupt. One of the most beloved characters from the penny blood serials was Sweeney Todd, created by Thomas Prest.
torture
Verb to cause someone to experience severe physical pain
torture
In the original story, String of Pearls: A Romance, published in 1846, Sweeney Todd was a demon barber who used his razor to torture his victims before turning them into meat pies.
adapt
Verb to change a movie, book, play, etc. so that it can be presented in another form
adapted
In 1847, hack playwright George Dibdin Pitt adapted Thomas Prest's story for the stage, renaming it The String of Pearls: The Fiend of Fleet Street.
copyright
Noun the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, recording, etc.
copyright
With no copyright laws, authors like Prest were always at risk of having their ideas pilfered by others.
bloodbath
Noun a violent and cruel killing of many people, sometimes used figuratively
bloodbath
Pitt's play was released again one year later at one of London's "bloodbath" theaters under the name Founded on Fact. The Sweeney Todd story also made its way into musicals and comedies.
base on
Phrase to form, make, or develop an idea by using something else as a starting point
based on
Controversy still exists over whether Thomas Prest's character was based on a real person. No records of a barber shop on Fleet Street, or a barber named Sweeney Todd have been found.
inspiration
Noun something that gives someone an idea about what to do or create
inspiration
Thomas Prest was known for getting his inspiration from "The Old Bailey" of the London Times, a section devoted to real-life horror stories.
unproductive
Adjective not giving good, steady, or useful results
unproductive
Despite the warning from Lord Shaftsbury that the paperback literature was seducing middle-class society into an unproductive life of evil, the penny bloods grew in popularity.
voice
Noun a right or way to express your wishes, opinions, etc.
voice
Penny bloods provided a literary voice for commoners at an affordable price. Eventually, penny bloods became known as penny dreadfuls and began to focus more on adventure than horror.
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