The Crimes of Womanhood

Cultural views of femininity exerted a powerful influence on the courtroom arguments used to defend or condemn notable women on trial in nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century America. A. Cheree Carlson analyzes the colourful 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 re-tellings and incisive analysis, this book will appeal to historians, rhetoricians and feminist researchers.

A. Cheree Carlson is a professor in the School of Letters and Sciences at Arizona State University, where she is also affiliated with the women's studies program.