The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The following are items that show up in both the Ramsey case and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (book, play and movie);

"Sandy Stranger had a feeling at the time that they were supposed to be the happiest days of her life, and on her tenth birthday she said so to her best friend Jenny Gray who had been asked to TEA at Sandy's house. The speciality of the feast was PINEAPPLE CUBES WITH CREAM, and the speciality of the day was that they were left to themselves. To Sandy the unfamiliar PINEAPPLE had the authentic taste and appearance of happiness and she focussed her small eyes closely on the pale gold cubes before she scooped them up in her SPOON, and she ... Both girls saved the CREAM to the last, then ate it in SPOONFULS."

Pineapple was found in JonBenet's intestine. A bowl with pineapple and milk and a spoon next to a glass with a tea bag in it were found in the home.

""Oh dear," said Rose out loud one day when they were settled to essay writing, "I can't remember how you spell 'possession.' Are there two s's or -?""

'Possession' was misspelled in the ransom note.

"It was impossible to know how much Miss Brodie planned by deliberation, or how much she worked by instinct alone. However, in this, the first test of her strength, she had the VICTORY."

The ransom note was signed off "Victory S.B.T.C" .

"These were placed in a a vase beneath the portrait, upon a lectern which also held an OPEN BIBLE ..."

An open Bible was found in the library of the home.

"Having confided her finds to Sandy, they had embarked on a course of research which they called "research," piecing together clues from remembered conversations illicitly overheard, and passages from the big DICTIONARIES."

A dictionary, dog-eared on one corner, was found in the home.

""Who OPENED THE WINDOW?""

A window in the basement was found open.

"Monica, whose face was becoming very red, swung the ATTACHE' case which held her books,... "

An attache is mentioned in the ransom note.

"She [Miss Brodie] looked older than that, she was suffering from an INTERNAL GROWTH."

Patsy had ovarian cancer.

"She [Miss Brodie] added, "Art is greater than science."

"I think Miss Brodie is more interested in art, ma'am," said Sandy. Pictures and drawings I mean. said Sandy. "Miss Brodie told us so. Music is an interest to her but art is a passion, Miss Brodie said." "I [Miss Brodie] do indeed," said Miss Brodie, "but 'like' is hardly the word; pictorial art is my passion."

Patsy painted with oils and acrylics.

The ransom note begins; "We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction." Individualism is stressed in the book and the Brodie set is characterized as being separate from the rest of the student body:

""Phrases like 'the team spirit' are always employed to cut across INDIVIDUALISM, love and personal loyalties," she had said."

"Sandy thought this might be an attempt to keep the Brodie set together at the expense of the newly glimpsed INDIVIDUALITY of its members."

"It was the Brodie set to which Joyce Emily mostly desired to attach herself, perceiving their INDIVIDUALISM; ... "

I [Miss McKay] am happy to see you are devoted to Miss Brodie. Your loyalty is due to the school rather than to any one INDIVIDUAL."

"They [the Brodie set] had no team spirit and very little in common with each other outside their continuing friendship with Jean Brodie."

"There is always a difference about Miss Brodie's girls, and the last two years I [Miss McKay] may say a marked difference."

"The lack of team spirit alone, the fact that the Brodie set preferred golf to hockey or netball if the preferred anything at all, were enough to SET THEM APART,... It was impossible for them to escape from the Brodie set because they were the Brodie set in the eyes of the school."

In Death of Innocence Patsy goes on for several paragraphs about how the color purple played a role in her Christmas '96;

"I [Patsy] had noticed a large roll of beautiful purple velvet ribbon on one of the shelves.... I usually decorated with gold, red, or green, but on that day the color purple particularly caught my eye. Why not? I thought. Purple would be a different look this year. The family won't expect it. And it could be beautiful. With the ribbon in hand, I started back upstairs to trim the tree.... I took the roll into the living room and started interweaving the ribbon through the branches.... I had unconsciously woven death into the fabric of our Christmas celebration,... An assurance had been handed to our family with the presence of the color purple... Purple did have a place afterall."

In the book purple is mentioned several times, the student's uniforms were purple. In the movie Miss Brodie wears a series of purple shaded outfits. And in the portrait that Lloyd does of her, she is wearing a purple dress.

The characteristics of Miss Brodie and members of the set also match Patsy's characteristics (and Jonbenet's as well);

Sandy Stranger .. was famous for her vowels sounds .. "Well, come and RECITE for us please ... "

"Jenny Gray .. She was going to be an ACTRESS."

Patsy did dramatic recitations in her pageants.

"Rose .. being addicted to the CINEMA."

The ransom note is filled with words and phrases from books and movies.

" ... Sandy for psychology."

Patsy speaks of her subconscious and her dreams in DOI.

"You [Eunice] are and Ariel.

"Patsy associated the angel theme with JonBenet.

"Here's one of Eunice in her HARLEQUIN OUTFIT,... "

One of JonBenet's pageant costumes was a harlequin outfit.

"Rose Stanley was famous for sex.... her BLONDE short hair,... " "Rose, who was famous for her sex-appeal." "Rose will be a great lover. She is above the common moral code, it does not apply to her."

JonBenet was dressed provocitavely in her pageants and had suggestive expressions coached into her. Her hair was lightened by Patsy.

The fusion of identity between Patsy and her daughter has been discussed by investigators of the case. The theme of identity over-lap and even fusion is part of the book;

"Teddy Lloyd's passion for Jean Brodie was greatly in evidence in all the portraits he did of the various members of the Brodie set. He did them in a group during one summer term, wearing their panama hats each in a different way, each hat adorning, in a magical transfiguration, a different Jean Brodie under the forms of Rose, Sandy, Jenny, Mary, Monica and Eunice."

"By the time their friendship with Miss Brodie was of seven years' standing, it had worked itself into their bones, so that they could not break away without, as it were, splitting their bones to do so."

"Sandy looked back at her companions, and understood them as a body with Miss Brodie for the head. She percieved herself, the absent Jenny, the ever-blamed Mary, Rose, Eunice and Monica, all in a frightening littel moment, in unfied compliance to the destiny of Miss Brodie, as if God had willed them to birth for that purpose."

"As she turned, Miss Brodie put her arm around Rose's shoulder and thanked Mr. Lloyd for his help, as if she and Rose were one."

In the CNN interview Patsy said (paraphrasing) "We believe there are two people that know what happened, the killer and someone that person may have confided in". From the book;

"So she confided according to what seemed expedient AT THE TIME, and was in fact now on the look-out for a girl amongst her set in whom she could confide enirely,... Of necessity there had to be just ONE girl; two would be dangerous."

The words confide, confidante, confidences are used at least ten times in the book. There are other similarities between the writing of the ransom note and Muriel Spark's writing in general. In The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark used the phrase -at this time- or -at that time- repeatedly. "At this time" is used in the ransom note. Initialisms are capitalized and punctuated with periods in the note. This is exactly what Spark does in her work, she even capitalized and punctuated T.V. Spark's last novel was about a kidnapping that really did not happen.

My point in all of this is that I think Patsy had a personality/identity disorder that resulted in her using JonBenet as an object in her private psychotic fantasy that revolved around an imaginary relationship with a supernatural being as a compensation for lack of parental recognition as a child. In order to secure her fantasy the threat of having the object attain an identity of it's own through maturation had to be stopped. By ending the life of the child Patsy removed the threat and had complete freedom to imagine her as an angel in heaven with a God awaiting her mother's arrival. The evidence for this type of psychosis is in the mythic content of Patsy's behavior as noted by the excessive Christmas decorations, the content of her contribution to Death of Innocence and the symbolic references in the ransom note and what was done to the child's body (the staging/posing, white clothing with a single star on the shirt etc). Further evidence of a psychosis is the obvious ties to literature. This often happens with psychotics as in Chapman with The Catcher in the Rye, Hinkley with Taxi Driver, McVeigh with The Turner Diaries, Kliebold/Harris with The Basketball Diaries. As the psychotic succumbs to the unconscious dream content takes over their lives and myth becomes reality for them.
I think in Patsy's case she identified with the storyline and characters of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie as they matched her own life's history having been raised by a pathologically narcissistic mother. Sandy Stranger's efforts to disengage from the affect of the narcissist Brodie matched Patsy's needs to disengage from the affect of the narcissist Nedra Paugh. Patsy never did achieve this in real life but transfered the process via fantasy to the object JonBenet.
There are other interesting similarities between Patsy and Spark's writings and Spark personally such as Patsy's out of place descriptions of her clothing in DOI and Brodie's out of place description of her wardrobe to her students in TPOMJB. Spark and Patsy were both admitted Francophiles. Both Brodie and Patsy had a "rota" of denominations. Brodie displaced her sexual urges by proxy to Rose and Patsy used JonBenet as a sexual object in the pageants and apparently violated her digitally. Brodie was a descendant of a man that died on a gibbet of his own devising. A gibbet was a devise used to display criminals after execution. I think JonBenet was subdued by strangulation (the evidence for this is the lower bruising on the neck) followed by the head blow and repositioning of the cord to it's final place for a private viewing by the perp, Patsy.

I think Patsy's personality/identity disorder was first played out with Spark and her writings. Spark's work was spawned by a contest that demanded a release to the imagination. Spark won the contest and went on to write humorous, dark commentaries on the human condition, many of which were filled with crime. The content of the ransom note having to do with crime books and movies is noted by investigators. At least one true crime book was said to be found in the home and the Ramseys themselves said their favorite profler was John Douglas. Who has favorite profilers?
I have included a print-out of my thread on forumsforjustice about the role of the Psalms in Patsy's crime. There are words, phrases and subjects in the Psalms that are common to the crime. In TPOMJB is a theme common to the Psalms; "The gang who oppose me shall not succeed." - Miss Brodie. The subject of insight is brought up in TPOMJB;
"Monica will get her B.Sc. with honors I've no doubt, but she has no spiritual insight, and of course that's why she's-" ... Nothing infuriates poeple more than their own lack of spiritual insight,... You [Sandy] have got insight, perhaps not spiritual, but you're a deep one, and Rose has got instinct." She [Rose] is above the common moral code, it does not apply to her. This is a fact which it is not expedient for anyone to hear about who is not endowed with insight."... It interests you, forsooth. A girl with a mind, a girl with insight." - Miss Brodie.
Insight is a quality of Sandy Stranger. I think Patsy committed the crime and wrote the ransom note in a regression to childlike persona in the image of Sandy. Twice in the book Brodie says to Sandy; "One day you will go too far." And in the movie Brodie shouts to Sandy, "Assassin!" as she learns of her disloyalty. God says in the Psalms " I shall cause you to have insight and instruct you in the way to go."

33:18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

33:19 to 'deliver' them from death ...

50:5 Gather to me my consecrated ones who made a covenant with me by 'sacrifice'.

50:14 'Sacrifice' thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High.

50:15 And 'call' apon me in the day of trouble, I will 'deliver' you and you will honor me.

103:17 But the loving kindness of God is from time indefinite ...

103:18 With those who keep his covenant, and remember to obey his precepts.

105:9 The covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

109:27 Let them know that it is your hand, that you yourself have done it.

116:12 How can I repay the Lord for all his kindness to me?

116:17 I will 'sacrifice' a thank offering to you.

118:15 Shouts of joy and 'victory' resound in the tents of the righteous. The Lord's right hand has done mighty things.

118:16 The Lord's 'right hand' is lifted high, the Lord's 'right hand' has done mighty things.

118:24 I will not 'die' but live.

118:24 This is the day the Lord has made.

118:27 With boughs in hand join the festival procession up to the horns of the alter.

119:62 'At midnight' I rise to give you thanks.

119:147 I rise before dawn and 'cry' for help. I put my hope in your words.
1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,...
3:1 O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up agianst me! How many are saying of me, "God will not 'deliver' him."

3:7 Arise, O Lord!'Deliver' me, O my God!

3:8 From the Lord comes 'deliverance'.
4:1 Answer me when I 'call' to you,

4:5 Offer right 'sacrifices 'and trust in the Lord.
5:2 'Listen' to my 'cry for help',

5:3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
:4 Turn, O Lord, and 'deliver' me,
7:1 O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; 'save' and 'deliver' me from all who persue me.

7:10 My shield is God Most High, who 'saves' the upright in heart.
9:13 O Lord! see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,... and there rejoice in your 'salvation'.
11:5 The Lord 'examines' the righteous.
12:4 ... "We will 'triumph' in our tongues; ...
13:2 How long will my enemy 'triumph' over me?

13: Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in 'death'.

13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your 'salvation'.
18:2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my 'deliverer'; ... He is my shield and the horn of my 'salvation',

18:3 I 'call' to the Lord,

18:4 The cords of 'death' entangle me; ... the snares of 'death' confronted me.

18:6 In my distress I 'called' to the Lord.

18:27 You 'save' the humble ...

18:35 You give me your shield of 'victory'.

18:43 You have 'delivered' me from the atacks of the people;

18:50 He gives his king great 'victories';
20:3 May he remember all your 'sacrifices'...

20:5 We will shout for joy when you are 'victorious'...

20:6 Now I know that the Lord 'saves' his annointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the 'saving power of his right hand'.

20:9 O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!
21:1 How great is his joy in the 'victories' you give!

21:5 Through the 'victories' you gave, his glory is great;
22:4 In you our fathers put their trust;they trusted you and you 'delivered' them.

22:5 They cried to you and were 'saved';

22:8 Let him 'deliver' him,

22:15 ... you lay me in the dust of 'death'.

22:20 'Deliver' my life from the sword,

22:21 ...'save' me from the horns of the wild oxen.
23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 'death',
25:14The Lord 'confides' in those who fear him;
27:1 The Lord is my light and my 'salvation'-

27:6 ... at his tabernacle I will 'sacrifice' with 'shouts of joy';
28:1 To you I 'call', O Lord my rock;

28:2 Hear 'my cry' for mercy as 'I call' for you for help.
30:2 O Lord 'I called 'to you for help

30:8 To you, O Lord; 'I called';
31:...'deliver' me in your righteousness.

31:15 ...'deliver' me from my enemies

31:22 ... when 'I called' to you for help.
32:7 ... and surround me with songs of 'deliverance'.

32: I will 'instruct' you and teach you in the way you should go;
33:17 A horse is a vain hope for 'deliverance';

33:19 ... to 'deliver' them from 'death'
34:4 ... he 'delivered' me from all 'my fears'.

34:7 ... and he 'delivers' them.

34:17 ... he 'delivers' them from all their troubles.

34:9 ... but the Lord 'delivers' him form them all;
35:3 "I am your 'salvation'."

35:9 Then my soul will rejoice and delight in his 'salvation'.
37:39 The 'salvation' of the righteous comes from the Lord;

37:40 The Lord helps them and 'delivers' them; he 'delivers' them from the wicked and 'saves' them,
39:8 'Save' me from all my transgressions;
40:6 'Sacrifice' and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.

40:10 ... I speak of you faithfulness and salvation'.

40:13 Be pleased, O Lord to 'save me';

40:16 ... may those who love your 'salvation' always say,

40:17 You are my help and my 'deliverer';
you must follow our 'instructions' to the letter.

You will withdraw 118

I will 'call' you

to 'instruct' you on 'delivery'.

The 'delivery' will be exhausting

we might 'call you' to arrange an earlier 'delivery'

and hence a earlier delivery [crossed out]

Any deviations from my 'instructions'

she dies

she dies

she dies

killing

Follow our instructions

killing

Victory!

Saved By The Cross (S.B.T.C)
There are repeated themes in The Psalms that show up in the ransom note; instructions, saving, deliverance, victory, death and calling.

A major theme from The Psalms also is a part of the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; "The gang who oppose me shall not succeed." As well as the themes of confiding and insight.

The connection to mythic literature is common to many murders committed by psychotics. This evidence is clear in the Ramsey case and is an indication that the murder was not the result of an accident.
41:1 ... the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.

41:11 ... for my enemy does not triumph over me.
44:3 ... nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm,

44:7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
49:14 ... and death will feed on them.
50:5 "Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

50:8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices

50:14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God ... and call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you will honor me.

50:16 But to the wicked ...

50:17 You hate my instruction

50:24 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me.... so that I may show him the salvation of God.
51:16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it

51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart

51:19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices
54:1 Save me O God

54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

54:6 I will sacrifice a free will offering to you

54:7 For he has delivered me from all my troubles
55:1 Listen to my prayer

55:4 ... the terrors of death assail me.

55:15 Let death take my enemies

55:16 But I call to God, and the Lord saves me.
56:12 I will present thank offerings to you.

56:13 For you have delivered me from death.
59:1 Deliver me

59:2 Deliver me
60:5 Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

60:12 With God we will gain the victory,
61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

61:2 From the ends of the earth I shall call to you, I call as my heart grows faint
62:1 ... my salvation comes from him.

62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;

62:6 ... salvation

62:7 My salvation
66:15 I will sacrifice

66:16 Come and listen

66:18 ... the Lord would not have listened
68:20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.
69:1 Save me, O God,

69:3 I am worn out calling for help;

69:13 ... answer me with your sure salvation.

69:14 ... deliver me

69:27 ... salvation...

69: I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.

69:35 for God will save Zion.
70:1 Hasten, O God, to save me;

70:4 ... may those who love your salvation ...

70:5 You are my help and my deliverer;
71:2 Rescue me and deliverme

71:3 ... give the command to save me,

71:4 Deliver me

71:15 salvation
72: 4 ... and save

72:12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

72:13 ... and save the needy from death.
35:1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me: fight against those who fight against me.

35:2 Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.

35:3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me.

35:3 Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
119:145 I call with all my heart; answer me; O Lord, and I will obey your decrees.

119:146 I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.

119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.

119:148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

My eyes stay open through the watches of the night

Patsy didn't go to bed that night.
The Psalms have been a part of this case from day one. Investigators and people close to the case have speculated about the killer's use of them in the staging. The word commonalities between The Psalms and the rn is a fact, even if Saved By The Cross is a guess for the initialism.

These facts may or may not have been presentable to a jury. But they certainly could have been presented to Patsy had the investigators been allowed to persue her.

Wow, very insightful. Who originally came up with this idea? I'm intrigued by the connections...

Mama2JML wrote:

Wow, very insightful. Who originally came up with this idea? I'm intrigued by the connections...

I did.

BrotherMoon wrote:

<quoted text>I did.

Wow. I would love to hear more about your theory. Do you have a website?

Mama2JML wrote:

<quoted text>
Wow. I would love to hear more about your theory. Do you have a website?

No, but I should.

BrotherMoon wrote:

<quoted text>No, but I should.

I agree. What is your line of work, if you don't mind my asking?

Mama2JML wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. What is your line of work, if you don't mind my asking?

Mafia hitman/stand-up comic..

BrotherMoon wrote:

<quoted text>Mafia hitman/stand-up comic..

Whatev. Not funny.:o/

BrotherMoon wrote:

<quoted text>
Mafia hitman/stand-up comic..

You are indeed a comic and your material is really laughable!

tootlems wrote:

<quoted text>
You are indeed a comic and your material is really laughable!

Shallow as always.

BrotherMoon wrote:

The following are items that show up in both the Ramsey case and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (book, play and movie);
"Sandy Stranger had a feeling at the time that they were supposed to be the happiest days of her life, and on her tenth birthday she said so to her best friend Jenny GRAY who had been asked to TEA at Sandy's house.

Let's take this a step further. Patsy and John hired Ollie GRAY to work on the case. Coincidence? I think not. ;)

The Truth Hurts wrote:

<quoted text>
Let's take this a step further. Patsy and John hired Ollie GRAY to work on the case. Coincidence? I think not. ;)

What does that mean?