WonderCon 2025

Fans love a good tragedy, whether in Shakespearean plays, modern-day true crime documentaries and podcasts, or dystopian novels. There is something about seeing these stories play out that has long captured the attention of consumers. Stories of people grabbing up penny dreadfuls and original newspaper articles focused on the (then) latest Jack the Ripper development continue to fascinate scholars. We followed alongside Katniss as she dismantled the system in Hunger Games and are now finding Shatter Me thanks to #booktok’s boyfriend obsessions. We debate innocence, guilt, or punishment of the heroes and villains of true crime. In this presentation, Dr. Britani Black (assistant professor of psychology, Marshall University), Dr. April Fugett (executive director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Marshall University), Dr. Keith W. Beard (professor of psychology, Marshall University), and Addison Guilliams, B.A. (graduate student, Marshall University) explore the idea of escapism and psychological themes involved in the love of dystopian and true crime media.