Profs and Pints Online presents: “True Crime’s Story,” a look at the sordid past of a widely followed genre, with Kris Mecholsky, scholar of crime fiction and film and administrator and English instructor at Louisiana State University.

[ This talk will remain available in recorded form at the link given here for tickets and access.]

True crime—the telling of narratives based on real crimes and involving real people—has flourished in practically every culture. It exploded in popularity in modern centuries and today can be found lurking everywhere in books, films, cable television shows, and podcasts.

Come follow true crime’s trail with the help of crime narrative expert Kris Mecholsky, who previously gave a fascinating Profs and Pints online talk on Sherlock Holmes.

We’ll explore how true crime developed and learn how it has shaped our views of crime and even ourselves, having a profound impact on our lives. And we’ll learn how the various media that have presented our most thought-provoking and soul-stirring crimes back to us—songs, rhymes, news, books, musicals, tv, podcasts, internet message boards—often reflect along with those crimes our changing values, interests, and cultural upheavals.

In doing so, we'll dive deep into older phenomena such as pamphlets circulated at executions in 18th-century England, news updates on Jack the Ripper, and school-kid rhymes about Lizzie Borden. Then we’ll scrutinize some of the most influential true crime stories of modern times (such as In Cold Blood, Helter Skelter, the trial of O.J. Simpson, the death of JonBenét Ramsey, the podcast Serial, and the documentary series Making a Murderer) and how their media affected your understanding of them and shifted policing, criminal investigation, legal defense, and complete misunderstandings about crime rates. We'll even learn about a hidden true crime story that directly influenced our legal system and every crime show you've ever seen.

Profs & Pints Online: True Crime's Story