Well, once again, it looks like I'm going to have to stop, so I don't start to bore you. But here's where we are at the moment (getting repetitious?)... Sickert may have had genital mutilation which impaired his ability to engage in genital sex, and a letter signed "Scotus" speculated that the murderer roaming Whitechapel had mutilated genitals.
Next time... we finally get to dissect the Whistler hypothesis, which only works, by the way, if we first accept these these two other hypotheses as fact.
Hope you're having fun. I'll be finished with my first impressions on Thursday. What's wild is that these first impressions only took a couple hours of reading and note-taking. But there's just a lot to talk about.
Who knows, maybe when she gets into the forensic evidence stuff, she'll start to argue on more solid ground.
For further appearances by Walter Sickert, check out these...
Article comments
1 - jackie Hazan
I have read the Patricia Cornwell's book on Jack the ripper. I was very much intrigued by Sicket's sketch of "He killed his Father in a fight". If you look at the left arm of the dead father you can just make out the word Jack, look at the K. If you look very closely at the left top arm of the killer you will see the unmistakeable R. look at the top of where the knife is being held by the killer. There are two heads there which resemble very closely punch and judy. Look at the spiky hair of the killer's head. Sicket liked his hair spiky. look at the wooden knob of the bed, you can make out a sketch of a face rather like a puppet's face. Have a look at the dead Father's shoe. At first glance it reminded me of a woman's shoe with a heel. If anybody sees anything else of interest please let me know.
2 - Yo
I have just read Patricia Cornwell's book and unfortunately felt theories were based on supposition and speculation. Although the profile of the Ripper from facts known would appear to be that of an educated and clever person I am surprised to find Sicket living a full life without never revealing in a conversation or moment of weakness something about the terrible deads he did - or is that typical of a psychopath bahaviour of which I do not have an understanding. I am also not sure why fingerprints from Sicket cannot be found somewhere from the many papers, paintings, personal effects he left which could be compared to the fingerprint found on one of the ripper letters. The white overalls donated to some museum - do they not reveal a fibre/hair from Sicket which could also give a DNA picture?
3 - Mal.k.
Well, I am not completely finished with the book as of yet. But I have always been terribly intrested in Jack the Ripper and who he may be...I recently viewed (On the net) Some of his art...And after reading some of Cornwell's book, I don't see the paintings "morbid" Or that they hint that Sickert might have been the Ripper. Although her she does have a very good theory...Maybe I am just not lokking at the right ones. But I precieved that all of his paintings would be vicious and morbid, like she desribes... I haven't seen the painting "he killed his father in a fight" and I would so very much like to see it. If someone would tell me where I could look to view it, I would be extremely grateful.
4 - Mick James
I think you've pretty much nailed Cornwell's modus operandi here--it's like the old Marx brothers skit: "The stolen money must be in the house next door..." "But there is no house next door" "So what, we'll build one!".
What I can't work out is why Cornwell so desperately needs Sickery to have been the Ripper. I mean, why should she care?
5 - Mick James
I think you've pretty much nailed Cornwell's modus operandi here--it's like the old Marx brothers skit: "The stolen money must be in the house next door..." "But there is no house next door" "So what, we'll build one!".
What I can't work out is why Cornwell so desperately needs Sickert to have been the Ripper. I mean, why should she care?