Beginning of Essay
In the early nineteenth century, an interest in criminals and the common highwayman arose in Europe. Many magazines in London, such as Bentley’s Miscellany, Fraser’s Magazine, and The Athenaeum featured sections that were reserved for stories about hi ....

Middle of Essay
.... are two of the best examples of the theme of ‘crime and punishment’ in the nineteenth century. Ainsworth started his writing career as a writer of Gothic stories for various magazines. Gothic elements are included in Ainsworth’s novel: the ancient hall, the family vaults, macabre burial vaults, secret marriage, and so forth (John, 1998, p. 30). Rookwood is a story about two half-brothers in a conflict over the family inheritance. The English criminal who Ainsworth decides to entangle in Rookwood was Dick Turpin, a highwayman executed in 1739. However, echoing Bulwer, Ainsworth’s explanation for his interes ....