Legend and Life
“The Boyfriend's Death” and “The Mad Axeman”
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8931602 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Wilson (0000-0003-0217-7646, University of South Wales, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 109 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 89-95 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Folklore (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0015-587X • E-ISSN: 1469-8315 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0015587x.1998.9715964 |
| OpenAlex | W2029451968 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
In 1966 Frank Mitchell, a.k.a. “The Mad Axe-Man” escaped from Dartmoor Prison and, as panic swept the locality, one of the most concerted, and ultimately fruitless, manhunts of the time was instigated. The event also seems to have fuelled an increase in legend-telling so that the real-life case became intrinsically linked with the contemporary legend known as “The Boyfriend's Death.” Even today the story is central to the teenage storytelling repertoire in the British Isles, where it is often known as “The Mad Axeman.” This paper uses the Mitchell affair to examine the interface between lore and life and, in particular, the rôle of the press in that process
Archaeology · Art · Art history · Genealogy · Legend · Literature · Narrative · Prison · Storytelling · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Themes in Literature Analysis
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,16 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2011 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |