The Crimes of Womanhood

Subtitle
Defining Femininity in a Court of Law

Cultural views of femininity exerted a powerful influence on the courtroom arguments used to defend or condemn notable women on trial in 19th-century and early 20th-century America. A. Cheree Carlson analyzes the colorful rhetorical strategies employed by lawyers and reporters in the trials of several women of varying historical stature, from the insanity trials of Mary Todd Lincoln and Lizzie Borden's trial for the brutal slaying of her father and stepmother, to lesser-known trials involving insanity, infidelity, murder, abortion and interracial marriage. Carlson reveals clearly just how narrow was the line that women had to walk, since the same womanly virtues that were expected of them — passivity, frailty and purity — could be turned against them at any time. With gripping retellings and incisive analysis, this book will appeal to historians, rhetoricians, feminist researchers and anyone who enjoys courtroom drama.

Bio

A. Cheree Carlson is a professor of communication in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus. She is also a faculty affiliate of the women and gender studies program at ASU. Carlson's research has historically been focused on courtroom oratory as cultural text.

Praise for this book

[An] innovative study. ... [Carlson’s] careful analysis of the impact of these gendered narratives on the outcome of the cases provides a valuable contribution to the discussion of why law fails to embody the gender neutrality it often idealizes. Recommended.

— Choice