The Routledge Handbook of Victorian Scandals in Literature and Culture exposes, explores, and examines what Victorians once considered flagrant breaches of decorum. Infringements that were fantasized through artforms or were actually committed exceeded entertaining parlor gossip; once in print they were condemned as socially contaminative but were also consumed as delightfully sensational. Written by scholars in diverse disciplines, this volume: Demonstrates that spreading scandals seemed to have been one of the most entertaining sources of activities but were also normative efforts made by the Victorians to ensure conformity of decorum. Provides a broad spectrum of infractions that were considered scandalous to the Victorians. Identifies Victorian transgressions that made the news and that may still shock modern readers. Covers a gamut of moral infractions and transgressions either practiced, rumored, or fantasized in art forms. This handbook is an invaluable resource about Victorian literature, art, and culture which challenges its readers to ponder perplexing questions about how and why some scandals were perpetrated and propagated in the nineteenth century while others were not, and what the controversies reveal about the human condition that persists beyond Victoria’s reign of propriety.

In this book, acclaimed biographer Raymond Lamont-Brown casts light on a previously overlooked aspect of the monarchy. From the instigation of the royal doctor in medieval times, to the present day, the tales of secrets, murder, medical incompetence and revolutionary operations revealed in this book make compelling reading. This is a fascinating look at the relationship between monarchs and their doctors and reveals the complex and influential position that they held. Included here are Sir William Gull, court physician to Queen Victoria, who was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case, and Sir Frederick Treves, who not only was court physician to the four succeeding monarchs, but was also the man who helped to rescue the 'Elephant Man', Joseph Merrick, from a fairground freak show.