

My Victorian Nightmare
Genevieve Manion
Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. To subscribe, join The Fan Coven!
If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.
If you consider yourself an enthusiast of creepy Victorian history, you probably already know about the age of spiritualism, the grisly murders, the grave robbers, twisted pseudo psychotherapy, and memento mori – But I try to dig a little deeper. This was a time full of lace corsetry, romantic poetry, and a deep reverence and affection for the dead. It was a culture of shared sorrow, ornament and elegance, prudishness and scandal, bone chilling children’s stories, and for whatever reason, I just feel at home there. There’s something strangely comforting about the heebie jeebies this era gives me. If you find yourself equally enchanted by things that most people would find horrifying, this podcast is probably for you. To listen ad-free, visit myvictoriannightmare.com and join my Patreon.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 8, 2024 • 39min
Ep. 6 - The Wild World of Victorian Vampires
In today’s episode, Genevieve will discuss the wild world of Victorian vampires. She'll discuss vampire panic and vampire autopsies of the 1800s, real vampires - or at least, folks who were believed to be real vampires, and the inspirations for everyone's favorite vampire, Dracula.
References for today's episode:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_vampire_panichttps://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/history.htm
https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/vampire-myths-originated-real-blood-disorder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Westenra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Paolehttps://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/dracula-bram-stoker-inspiration
https://lithub.com/on-the-victorian-science-and-prejudices-behind-bram-stokers-dracula/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 1, 2024 • 32min
Ep. 5 - The Life and Times of Typhoid Mary
On today's episode, Genevieve talks about the life and times of a Ms. Mary Mallon, otherwise known as Typhoid Mary – much to her chagrin.
References for today's episode:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon
https://the-line-up.com/north-brother-island
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/north-brother-island
https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2019/03/28/are-victorian-diseases-making-a-comeback/
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/typhoid/letter.html
https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/typhoid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 24, 2024 • 30min
Ep. 4 - The Horror of Victorian Children’s Stories
In today's episode, Genevieve talks about the deeply disturbing world of Victorian Children’s stories and the twisted origins of some nursery rhymes of the time that we still enjoy today.
References for today's episode:
https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/04/the-creepy-and-harsh-lessons-of-early-childrens-books/
https://news.ufl.edu/archive/1996/10/todays-scary-stories-are-tame-compared-to-victorian-age-tales.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/penny-dreadfuls-victorian-children-literacy
https://www.representingchildhood.pitt.edu/victorian.htm
https://writingtoberead.com/2023/04/26/dark-origins-the-creepy-true-story-behind-alice-in-wonderland-darkorigins-aliceinwonderland/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-springheeled-jack-the-leaping-devil-that-terrorized-victorian-england Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 17, 2024 • 38min
Ep. 3 - The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
In today's episode, Genevieve covers the life and mysterious death of beloved gothic fiction writer, Edgar Allan Poe.
References for today's episode:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Edgar_Allan_Poe
https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a45782209/edgar-allan-poe-death-mystery/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/still-mysterious-death-edgar-allan-poe-180952936/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 10, 2024 • 34min
Ep. 2 - The Victorian Cult of Death
In this week's episode, Genevieve talks about elaborate Victorian funeral traditions, what was, and was not, acceptable mourning fashion of the day, Queen Victoria’s obsession with her dead husband that sparked the trends, the hardship and power of 19th-century widowhood, as well as the almost fetishistic keepsaking of the deceased.
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Jun 3, 2024 • 31min
Ep. 1 - The Legend of Octavia Hatcher
In this episode, Genevieve covers the mysterious death of Octavia Hatcher – a women who died in 1891 who, according to legend, was buried alive.
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