Women Who Kill Men
California Courts, Gender, and the Press
Gordon Morris Bakken author Brenda Farrington author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Nebraska Press
Published:1st May '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Analyses eighteen sensational cases of women on trial for murder in this period to identify the intersections of media, law, and gender in California
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a revolutionary period in the lives of women, and the shifting perceptions of women and their role in society were equally apparent in the courtroom. Women Who Kill Men examines eighteen sensational cases of women on trial for murder from 1870 to 1958. The fascinating details of these murder trials, documented in court records and embellished newspaper coverage, mirrored the changing public image of women. Although murder was clearly outside the norm for standard female behavior, most women and their attorneys relied on gendered stereotypes and language to create their defense and sometimes to leverage their status in a patriarchal system. Those who could successfully dress and act the part of the victim were most often able to win the sympathies of the jury. Gender mattered. And though the norms shifted over time, the press, attorneys, and juries were all informed by contemporary gender stereotypes.
"Women Who Kill Men: California Courts, Gender, and the Press provides a unique, historical glimpse into the trials of female defendants charged with murder in California from 1870 to 1958."—Brooke Butler, Psychology of Women Quarterly
"Women Who Kill Men will appeal to social historians, behaviorists, students of women's issues, and the buff trade."—Clark Secrest, Western Historical Quarterly
ISBN: 9780803245440
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
296 pages