Alan Moore/Jack the Ripper Experts? Help!

Saint Fool · Feb 6, 2009

"one day men will look back and say that I gave birth to the twentieth century"

Was this a quote from one of the "Jack the Ripper" letters? Or was it written by Alan Moore in FROM HELL?

I'm critting new plays, one of which quotes this as coming from a Ripper letter sent after Liz Stride and Catherine Eddos were killed on the same night. It's been a long time since I read the graphic novel, but I thought that **Spoiler - small print - white type --- highlight to read***William Gull said it during his vision of future London. *** End spoiler***

When I Google, I'm finding the quote but no source.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give or any direction you can point me in.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

I don't think it is from the letters.

It strikes me as made up for the movie. It sounds far too articulate to be from a Jack letter and in From Hell I believe it was attributed to Dr Gull. While he was a suspect, of course, no one was ever fingered for the crimes.

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

It was in one of the letters.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

Which one?

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Which one?

That, I don't remember. I went through a "Ripper" phase at one time and read much of the literature on the Ripper case, but it's been a while. Unless I've gotten completely confused, that quotes if from one of the Ripper letters that is more or less accepted as being from the real Ripper. I did watch From Hell at least a couple of times, so it's possible I've somehow come to think of it as a real quote and it isn't.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

It doesn't look as if it is.

Ripper letters.

I thought it sounded too articulate to be a Jack quote and it appears to be something attributed to Dr Gull in the film. As he was the Ripper in that movie it could easily have been attributed to Jack when it was merely something said by From Hell's Jack.

(Incidentally that, and the Patrick Bergen (sp?) movie annoy the living piss out of me for all the inaccuracies in them so this misquote doesn't really surprise me. Still, at least FH had Johnny Depp).

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

Saint Fool said:
...I'm critting new plays, one of which quotes this as coming from a Ripper letter sent after Liz Stride and Catherine Eddos were killed on the same night...

They don't know Jack... :roll:

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

Well, now I'm confused (won't be the first time). I could have sworn that was an actual Ripper quote.

I still think it's something to do with the actual Ripper case, and not just from the film. I'll have to do more research.

Bmwhtly · Feb 6, 2009

There are newspaper articles (including quotesof the letters) from the period at The Times if that helps.

(I would link directly to the archive, but dial-up and timesonline aren't friends)

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

I've googled the shit out of that quote and can't find attribution anywhere but the film although it might have been taken from the original comic book.

It's incongruous with all the "Deer polisman, i et teh kidne nom nom nom" letters. Far too articulate. :ROFL:

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 6, 2009

I did watch From Hell at least a couple of times, so it's possible I've somehow come to think of it as a real quote and it isn't.

I think that's probably the case. It definitely isn't in the letters.

The postcard that was sent after the Eddowes/Stride murders was the "Saucy Jacky" postcard.

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

I think you might be right, scarlet. I can't find a reliable sources that attributes that quote to the Ripper. One even states that a writer made up the line; although it doesn't say whether it was from the From Hell graphic novel, or even earlier.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

Sorry if I seem a bit dogmatic about this issue. My (step)dad is an amateur Ripperologist and never banned his books to me as a kid; I was allowed to read them even as a young 'un so I grew up on Ripper lore. Absolutely fascinating case.

IceCreamEmpress · Feb 6, 2009

Saint Fool, the place you're remembering it happening in the graphic novel sounds right to me. In the movie, it's said to Inspector Abberline.

DeleyanLee · Feb 6, 2009

Saint Fool said:
"one day men will look back and say that I gave birth to the twentieth century"

Was this a quote from one of the "Jack the Ripper" letters? Or was it written by Alan Moore in FROM HELL?

I'm critting new plays, one of which quotes this as coming from a Ripper letter sent after Liz Stride and Catherine Eddos were killed on the same night. It's been a long time since I read the graphic novel, but I thought that **Spoiler - small print - white type --- highlight to read***William Gull said it during his vision of future London. *** End spoiler***

When I Google, I'm finding the quote but no source.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give or any direction you can point me in.

It's a movie quote, not historical. Scroll down to almost the end of the page.

http://www.casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/periodicals/ripperologist.2005-12.html

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Sorry if I seem a bit dogmatic about this issue. My (step)dad is an amateur Ripperologist and never banned his books to me as a kid; I was allowed to read them even as a young 'un so I grew up on Ripper lore. Absolutely fascinating case.

That's okay; I'm glad to know what was actually from the case, and what was made up later. I'm just surprised that I got confused about what was real and what was fiction; I'm usually pretty good about those sort of things.

DeleyanLee · Feb 6, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Sorry if I seem a bit dogmatic about this issue. My (step)dad is an amateur Ripperologist and never banned his books to me as a kid; I was allowed to read them even as a young 'un so I grew up on Ripper lore. Absolutely fascinating case.

Oh, please be dogmatic! It's great to see someone being serious about the case.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

alleycat said:
That's okay; I'm glad to know what was actually from the case, and what was made up later. I'm just surprised that I got confused about what was real and what was fiction; I'm usually pretty good about those sort of things.

Johnny Depp has that effect on me too.

DeleyanLee said:
Oh, please be dogmatic! It's great to see someone being serious about the case.

Don't get me started! :ROFL:

I once filled a notebook with my theories on the case. I was about 13 at the time. My dad was secretly proud. It must have been roughly 50,000 words...about the most famous serial murder case ever.

Yeah. My schoolmates were playing with dolls and swooning over pop bands. I was scribbling away in my notebook of death.

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

Have you ever read In Cold Blood, scarlet?

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

I haven't. Jack is my first love.

Wait. Now I sound weird.

I better not tell you my Jackbook had headings like "The coach used to transport Eddowes' body???", "Poison used to sedate victims?", "Possible collaboration between 2 or more killers" and "The royal connection"...

DeleyanLee · Feb 6, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Don't get me started!

I once filled a notebook with my theories on the case. I was about 13 at the time. My dad was secretly proud. It must have been roughly 50,000 words...about the most famous serial murder case ever.

Yeah. My schoolmates were playing with dolls and swooning over pop bands. I was scribbling away in my notebook of death.

Were we twins separated at birth?

No, wait. Guess not. You're much more attractive than I am.

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

I was allowed to stay up late to watch the Michael Caine mini-series. What a load of old toot it was. Lifted entirely from Stephen Knight's book which was itself a load of old toot.

I still have it on VHS...it's good for a trashy night of Jack, though.

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

Of course, In Cold Blood is nothing like the Ripper case. There's no mystery to who committed the crimes, or what happened to them after they were caught and tried (the state of Kansas hung them). Still, it's well worth reading, even if Capote made up a few things. I think you might enjoy it.

I've sometimes suggested to those wanting to add a prologue to their book that they at least read Chapter 1 of In Cold Blood. It's actually a prologue, and one of the best I've ever read. It sets the time and place very well, and draws the reader into the book.

alleycat · Feb 6, 2009

Wait, does anyone remember the film Time After Time? I'm thinking that Ripper "quote" was in that film as well. Maybe that's where it originally came from.

More research . . .

scarletpeaches · Feb 6, 2009

The ripper casebook site suggests as much, so you could be right...it rings a bell with me, too, come to think of it.

Alan Moore/Jack the Ripper Experts? Help!

Saint Fool

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

scarletpeaches

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

Bmwhtly

Yes, I'm back.

scarletpeaches

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

alleycat

Still around

scarletpeaches

IceCreamEmpress

Hapless Virago

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

alleycat

Still around

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

scarletpeaches

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

alleycat

Still around

scarletpeaches