Women Who Kill Men: California Courts, Gender, and the Press (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780803213616)

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.

Author: Gordon Morris Bakken, Brenda Farrington
ISBN-10: 0803213611
ISBN-13: 9780803213616
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2009
Pages: 296
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.13lbs
Size: 8.78h x 5.62w x 1.02d

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 10/30/2009 pg. 20
Choice 08/01/2010