Expressions of Identity in Seventeenth-Century English Crime Pamphlet

Throughout the seventeenth century, English presses published cheap pamphlets about crime in abundance. These pamphlets were highly sensational and contained gory details about violent crimes and criminal executions. Hawkers shouted much of the content aloud in the streets, balladeers spread the stories in song, and those who were literate read the contents aloud in coffeehouses and at home. The widespread popularity of their contents demonstrates their level of impact on the English populace. These crime pamphlets did more than just entertain an audience -- they reflected English identity and its evolution throughout the seventeenth century. Crime pamphlets strongly illustrate three aspects of English identity in particular: masculinity, liberty, and Protestantism. This thesis specifically examines how crime pamphlets portrayed these facets of identity prior to and after the English Civil War.