The Wench is Dead
Encyclopedia
The Wench is Dead is a historical crime novel
by Colin Dexter
, the eighth novel in the Inspector Morse
series. The novel received the Gold Dagger
Award in 1989.
; her death led to a sensational murder trial, and two men were eventually hanged for the murder.
In 1989, Inspector Morse is recovering from a bleeding ulcer
in Oxford's Radcliffe Hospital. Morse is given a book by the wife of a recently deceased patient at the hospital. The little book called Murder on the Oxford Canal tells the story of the murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat Barbara Bray. Morse is soon convinced that the two men hanged for the crime were innocent and sets out to prove it from the confines of his bed.
's play The Jew of Malta
, the following quotation
serves as the epigraph
to the novel:
Gold Dagger
Award for the best crime novel of the year in 1989.
in Inspector Morse
and was first aired on 11 November 1998. The filming took place on the Kennet and Avon Canal, a broad canal, whereas the Oxford canal is a narrow canal.
A BBC Radio 4
play The Wench is Dead dramatised by Guy Meredith was broadcast in 1992 starring John Shrapnel
as Morse and Robert Glenister
as Lewis, with Garard Green
as Col. Deniston, Joanna Myers as Christine Greenaway, Peter Penry-Jones
as Waggy Greenaway, and Kate Binchy as Sister MacLean. The play was directed by Ned Chaillet
.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
by Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
, the eighth novel in the Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
series. The novel received the Gold Dagger
Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger Award was an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association for the best crime novel of the year.For its first five years, the organization's top honor was known as the Crossed Red Herring Award....
Award in 1989.
Plot introduction
In 1859, the body of a young woman was found floating in the Oxford CanalOxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
; her death led to a sensational murder trial, and two men were eventually hanged for the murder.
In 1989, Inspector Morse is recovering from a bleeding ulcer
Perforated ulcer
A perforated ulcer, is a very serious condition where an untreated ulcer can burn through the wall of the stomach , allowing digestive juices and food to leech into the abdominal cavity. Treatment generally requires immediate surgery...
in Oxford's Radcliffe Hospital. Morse is given a book by the wife of a recently deceased patient at the hospital. The little book called Murder on the Oxford Canal tells the story of the murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat Barbara Bray. Morse is soon convinced that the two men hanged for the crime were innocent and sets out to prove it from the confines of his bed.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title of the novel comes from Christopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
's play The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta
The Jew of Malta is a play by Christopher Marlowe, probably written in 1589 or 1590. Its plot is an original story of religious conflict, intrigue, and revenge, set against a backdrop of the struggle for supremacy between Spain and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean that takes place on the...
, the following quotation
Quotation
A quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
serves as the epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
to the novel:
- FRIAR BARNARDINE. Thou hast committed--
- BARABAS. Fornication: but that was in another country;
- And besides, the wench is dead.
Awards and nominations
The Wench is Dead won the British Crime Writers' AssociationCrime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
Gold Dagger
Gold Dagger
The Gold Dagger Award was an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association for the best crime novel of the year.For its first five years, the organization's top honor was known as the Crossed Red Herring Award....
Award for the best crime novel of the year in 1989.
Television and radio adaptations
The novel was filmed as an episodeThe Wench is Dead (TV)
"The Wench is Dead" is an episode of the British television detective mystery show Inspector Morse. It was first broadcast on ITV in 1998.-Plot:...
in Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
and was first aired on 11 November 1998. The filming took place on the Kennet and Avon Canal, a broad canal, whereas the Oxford canal is a narrow canal.
A BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
play The Wench is Dead dramatised by Guy Meredith was broadcast in 1992 starring John Shrapnel
John Shrapnel
John Shrapnel is an English actor.Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel....
as Morse and Robert Glenister
Robert Glenister
Robert Lewis Glenister is a British actor known for his roles as con man Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in the British TV series Hustle, and Nicholas Blake in the BBC spy drama Spooks.-Career:...
as Lewis, with Garard Green
Garard Green
Garard Green was a British actor and commentator.Green was born in Madras, India in 1924 where his father was superintendent of the government press. When his father died in 1933 the family returned to the United Kingdom and Green finished his education at Watford Grammar School...
as Col. Deniston, Joanna Myers as Christine Greenaway, Peter Penry-Jones
Peter Penry-Jones
Peter David Penry-Jones was a Welsh actor.-Career:His television credits include: Colditz, The Professionals, To the Manor Born, Bergerac, Howards' Way, Kavanagh QC and Midsomer Murders...
as Waggy Greenaway, and Kate Binchy as Sister MacLean. The play was directed by Ned Chaillet
Ned Chaillet
Edward William "Ned" Chaillet, III is a radio drama producer and director, writer and journalist.Ned Chaillet, American by birth, was born in Boston, Mass. but is a "native of Washington" according to the New York Times. He has lived in Britain since 1973.His newspaper career began at the...
.
Publication history
- 1989, London: Macmillan ISBN 0333517873, Pub date 26 October 1990, Hardback
- 1990, New York: St. Martin's Press ISBN 0312044445, Pub date May 1990, Hardback
- 1991, New York: Bantam ISBN 0553291203, Pub date 1 May 1991, Paperback
- 1991, London: Pan ISBN 0330313363, Pub date 12 July 1991, Paperback
Sources, references, external links
- The Real Life Murder of Christina Collins at The Inspector Morse Society
- Bishop, David, The Complete Inspector Morse: From the Original Novels to the TV Series London: Reynolds & Hearn (2006) ISBN 1905287135
- Bird, Christopher, The World of Inspector Morse: A Complete A-Z Reference for the Morse Enthusiast Foreword by Colin Dexter, London: Boxtree (1998) ISBN 0752221175
- Mary Jean DeMarr (ed.), In the Beginning, USA: Bowling Green University Popular Press (1995) ISBN 0879726733