Twisting in the Wind: The Murderess and the English Press (Heritage)

## Twisting in the Wind The Murderess and the English Press Women accused of murder in nineteenth-century England got bad press. Broadsides, newspapers, and books depicted their stories in gruesome detail, often with illustrations of the crime scene, the courtroom proceedings, and the execution. More than murders committed by men, murders by women were sensationalized. The press -and the public -were fascinated by these acts 'most unnatural' of the fairer sex. Judith Knelman contends that this portrayal of the murderess was linked to a broader public agenda, set and controlled by men. Women were supposed to be mothers and wives, giving and sustaining life. If a woman killed her baby or husband, she posed a threat to patriarchal authority. Knelman describes the range and incidence of murder by women in England. She analyses case histories of different kinds of murder, and explores how press representations of the murderess contributed to the Victorian construction of femininity. If readers in the nineteenth century shivered at accounts of murder by women, we should get an equal chill up the spine today reading about how these women were cast out. Twisting in the Wind is a book that won't leave any of its readers -true crime fans, sociologists and criminologists, historians, or researchers in women's studies -hanging in doubt.

Women accused of murder in nineteenth-century England got bad press. Broadsides, newspapers, and books depicted their stories in gruesome detail, often with illustrations of the crime scene, the courtroom proceedings, and the execution. This sensational coverage fed the public appetite for stories of female deviancy and punishment.

Judith Knelman contends that the portrayal of murder by women was linked to a broader public agenda, set and controlled by men. Women were expected to be devoted to giving and sustaining life. Aggression was "masculine." Thus a woman who killed posed a threat to patriarchal authority.

Knelman describes the range and incidence of murder by women in England. She analyses case histories of different kinds of murder, and explores how press representations of the murderess contributed to the Victorian construction of femininity. She also suggests that class and gender discrimination pushed women to kill.

Twisting in the Wind is a comprehensive and balanced account that will appeal to true crime fans, sociologists, criminologists, historians, and researchers in women's studies.

Women accused of murder in nineteenth-century England got bad press. Broadsides, newspapers, and books depicted their stories in gruesome detail, often with illustrations of the crime scene, the courtroom proceedings, and the execution. This sensational coverage fed the public appetite for stories of female deviancy and punishment.

Judith Knelman contends that the portrayal of murder by women was linked to a broader public agenda, set and controlled by men. Women were expected to be devoted to giving and sustaining life. Aggression was "masculine." Thus a woman who killed posed a threat to patriarchal authority.

Knelman describes the range and incidence of murder by women in England. She analyses case histories of different kinds of murder, and explores how press representations of the murderess contributed to the Victorian construction of femininity. She also suggests that class and gender discrimination pushed women to kill.

Twisting in the Wind is a comprehensive and balanced account that will appeal to true crime fans, sociologists, criminologists, historians, and researchers in women's studies.

Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction 11 Part One: Patterns and Perceptions 31 1. The Case of the Vanishing Murderess 31 2. The Popular Press 48 Part Two: Murder 75 3. Multiple Murder 75 4. Murder of Husbands, Lovers, or Rivals in Love 113 5. Child Murder 151 6. Baby-Farming and Infanticide 173 7. Murder of and by Servants 209 8. Murder of the Elderly 235 Part Three: Meaning 253 9. The Image of the Murderess 253 10. The Feminine Perspective 262 11. The Body of the Murderess 277 12. The Murder of the Murderess 286 Conclusion 301 Appendix 303 Notes 307 Select Bibliography 335 Index 341 Murders by women were sensationalized in the English press during the 19th-century. Knelman analyses histories of different kinds of murder and explores how press representations of the murderess contributed to the Victorian construction of femininity.