Introduction

Welcome to Musings from 18th Century Criminals and the Men who Study Them. Each post features a narrative from a criminal, followed by a critique from one of three critics of 18th century criminality. Our panel of critics consists of 18th century writer and crime critic, Henry Fielding, 20th century critic, Michel Foucoult, and 18th century magistrate Sir John Fielding. Each critic will give an analysis of the criminal and their possible reasons for falling into crime, their behaviors as criminals, etc. The criminals featured in each post are based on the lives of real 18th century criminals. There are footnotes in each post that explain who the narrative is based on. I hope this blog gives readers a sense of the theories and attitudes toward 18th century criminality