Penny Dreadfuls

Victorian Moral Panic

Penny Dreadfuls - Cheap, serialised literature

Began in France but came to England in 1940s in the form of weeklytitles including 'The London journel and The Family Herald'. The falling costs of printing meant they could typicallybe sold at a penny and the increased litercy rate meant they were mass marketed and by 196os were selling 30,000 to 40,000 copies a week.

In the 196os a census showed that 45% of population was under 20 and litercy was spreading throught the young. Making a clear market for cheap fiction aimes at woung and the birth of the 'true' penny dreadfuls were born. Mass marketed titles aimed at at working class young on the subjects of lurid crimes, gothic roamnce and horror. Including characters such as pirates, highway men and proffesional gentlemen criminal, successful lwa breaking underdogs.

It came under critism due to the fact it invovled law breaking and there was fear the press could do harm to the working class and their morals .