The Borden Murders in Fiction

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Tue May 16, 2006 7:18 pm

Since August 1892 there have been many works of fiction that reference the Borden murders. I think someone may have listed these works somewhere? Any advice?

Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" (aka "Ten Little Indians") references this case without using the Borden name.
Agatha Christie's "Ordeal by Innocence" refers to the Borden murders by name.

Can anyone else add to this list from personal knowledge?

Haulover · Post by **Haulover** » Wed May 17, 2006 12:08 am

well, there is the engstrom book about lizzie -- outlandish fiction.

the hunter book on lizzie is fiction.

angela carter wrote a great lizzie fiction.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed May 17, 2006 12:48 am

In The Hatchet, Dec./Jan 2005, there was a neat short article about how the Shirley Jackson book We Have Always Lived In The Castle was based loosely on the Borden saga, written by Loretta Ross.

I had read that book in the late 1960's, and never equated it with the Bordens. Makes me want to read it again to see the influence.

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Wed May 17, 2006 12:55 am

Satterwait has Lizzie smoking cigars and hacking up a mad woman who killed her blackmailer.....

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:47 am

The movie "Strait Jacket" with Joan Crawford is based somewhat on the Borden murders. There's even a rhyme ala Lizzie but with Crawford's character's name in its place. I don't know if that was a book, tho. I get the feeling that it never was a book - that someone just wrote the script up.

What was her name in that movie??? Lucy something. Lucy what? It had two syllables. Dang, I know that.

Robert Bloch, the guy who wrote "Psycho", wrote a short Lizzie story. I'd really like to read that.

"The Simpsons" tv show had two episodes where they referred to Lizzie Borden. In one, which is the most talked about, Homer sells his soul for a donut and Lizzie Borden is on the jury that is filled with other people they figure are in hell (Dillinger, Benedict Arnold, etc.).

The other episode takes place in Bart's classroom. His teacher mentions doing a play and picking someone to be Lizzie Borden. It was just a one-line thing.

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:11 pm

Lucy Harbin

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/m ... v_id=47168

Wordweaver · Post by **Wordweaver** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:30 pm

augusta @ Wed May 17, 2006 6:47 am wrote:The movie "Strait Jacket" with Joan Crawford is based somewhat on the Borden murders. There's even a rhyme ala Lizzie but with Crawford's character's name in its place. I don't know if that was a book, tho. I get the feeling that it never was a book - that someone just wrote the script up.

What was her name in that movie??? Lucy something. Lucy what? It had two syllables. Dang, I know that.

Robert Bloch, the guy who wrote "Psycho", wrote a short Lizzie story. I'd really like to read that.

"The Simpsons" tv show had two episodes where they referred to Lizzie Borden. In one, which is the most talked about, Homer sells his soul for a donut and Lizzie Borden is on the jury that is filled with other people they figure are in hell (Dillinger, Benedict Arnold, etc.).

Interesting: turns out Robert Bloch wrote the screenplay for Strait-Jacket. Here are some reviews and opther information on the film:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0058620/

http://www.moria.co.nz/horror/straitjacket.htm

I love that Simpsons episode; it's a great take-off on The Devil and Daniel Webster. And the jury from hell includes the 1980 Philadelphia Flyers.

Lynn

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Wed May 17, 2006 4:37 pm

Let me make myself perfectly clear.
I meant books (like the mystery novels I often read) that did not deal with the unsolved murder of 8/4/1892.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed May 17, 2006 5:48 pm

Thank you everybody for your input.

The only fiction book "mystery novel" I have read which I believe was loosly based on the Borden situation is the Shirley Jackson - "We Have Always Lived In The Castle" as I mentioned.

Don't know how many have read that.

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:50 pm

There was that Marry Higgins Clark book....

'There's no place like home'.

I did not find it to be one of her more memorable works....

diana · Post by **diana** » Thu May 18, 2006 2:31 am

Augusta writes:

Robert Bloch, the guy who wrote "Psycho", wrote a short Lizzie story. I'd really like to read that.

Do you have back issues of The Lizzie Borden Quarterly, Augusta?

Robert Bloch's story "Lizzie Borden Took an Axe ..." was reprinted in the LBQ in January 1994.

stuartwsa · Post by **stuartwsa** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:00 am

Jackson's "We Have Always Lived In The Castle" was one of my favorite reads as a teenager. I highly recommend it, and "The Haunting of Hill House" as well.

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:08 am

My Jackson favorite is The Lottery.

Tracy...

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 18, 2006 11:49 pm

Oh my gosh, we were all Shirley Jackson freaks in our teens!! Yay!

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:38 pm

Oh boy! You guys gave me a treasure trove of stuff! Thank you!

Audrey - So it was "Lucy Harbin". Well, it doesn't ring a bell. I never would have come up with it.

At the time it was made, Joan Crawford had ties to the Pepsi-Cola Company. There's a scene in the kitchen where you can see a carton of Pepsi bottles on the counter.

Diana - Yes, I have the back issues of the LBQ. The Robert Bloch story is in that one issue??? Really? Really?? I'll look that up. I'd think it'd be good. No, no. Don't tell me.

Wordweaver - Robert Bloch wrote the 'Strait Jacket' script??? Wow - that's surprising. I didn't realize that. Thanks!