Twisting in the wind : the murderess and the English press

Type

Book

Authors

Knelman, Judith

ISBN 10

0802029159

ISBN 13

9780802029157

DDC

364.15

Tags

Murder & Mayhem, Gender & the Law, Social Sciences, Women and the law, Women, Feminist Theory Murder, Press, UK crime and punishment, Women murderers, 1800-1899

Abstract

"I began this study of gender-specific interpretations of nineteenth-century murder in what turned out to be the middle, having stumbled, in an effort to trace the development of sensational reporting in the English press, on a spate of murder trials and executions of women in 1849. This proved to be but one contingent of a steady procession of women to the gallows in the 1840s, which saw the emergence of women as the first serial killers of modern society. How the press responded to this threat is one part of the story; what pushed the women to murder in the first place is another..." -Introduction

Description

Contents:
pt. 1. Patterns and Perceptions. 1. The Case of the Vanishing Murderess. 2. The Popular Press -- pt. 2. Murder. 3. Multiple Murder. 4. Murder of Husbands, Lovers, or Rivals in Love. 5. Child Murder. 6. Baby-Farming and Infanticide. 7. Murder of and by Servants. 8. Murder of the Elderly -- pt. 3. Meaning. 9. The Image of the Murderess. 10. The Feminine Perspective. 11. The Body of the Murderess. 12. The Murder of the Murderess.

Biblio Notes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-311) and index.

Number of Copies