This book is intended for those in the humanities seeking a legal context for writing about rape in early modern England. It takes the premise that over the past four decades misunderstandings about rape law, and misreadings of rape statutes from medieval to Elizabethan times, have become widely cited in criticism. Helen Barker identifies how this has arisen, and discusses the main sources of confusion – including indissoluble issues around the word ‘ravishment’. Rape law historically encompassed elopement and abduction; this book offers a succinct overview of the law, and draws attention to the wider social context other than gender opposition in which it is often presented. In addition, critics have been tempted to rely on the ostensibly authoritative seventeenth-century treatise, The Lawes Resolutions of Womens Rights, as a legal source. By examining the context of its publication, this book suggests that the treatise is unreliable and can mislead the unwary.
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This book is intended for those in the humanities seeking a legal context for writing about rape in early modern England. It takes the premise that over the past four decades misunderstandings about rape law, and misreadings of rape statutes from medieval to Elizabethan times, have become widely cited in criticism.
Les mer
1. Critical Context and History.The Critical ContextCriticism and MethodologyHistory2. The Legal Framework.Common Law: Ancient, Medieval, Early ModernSome Sources of ConfusionBibliography3. Statute Law.Rape, Elopement and AbductionRape and Elopement After 1487The Abduction Acts“History cannot be written from the statute books alone”Bibliography4. The Lawes Resolutions Of Womens Rights.AuthorshipFinding a ReadershipLaw Books and the Print TradePublishing The Lawes ResolutionsRape Law, Criticism and The Lawes ResolutionsBibliography5. Conclusion.
Les mer
This book is intended for those in the humanities seeking a legal context for writing about rape in early modern England. It takes the premise that over the past four decades misunderstandings about rape law, and misreadings of rape statutes from medieval to Elizabethan times, have become widely cited in criticism. Helen Barker identifies how this has arisen, and discusses the main sources of confusion – including indissoluble issues around the word ‘ravishment’. Rape law historically encompassed elopement and abduction; this book offers a succinct overview of the law, and draws attention to the wider social context other than gender opposition in which it is often presented. In addition, critics have been tempted to rely on the ostensibly authoritative seventeenth-century treatise, The Lawes Resolutions of Womens Rights, as a legal source. By examining the context of its publication, this book suggests that the treatise is unreliable and can mislead the unwary.​Helen Barker gained her PhD having studied at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK.
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Provides a legal and historical context from which to approach the subject of rape in early modern EnglandArgues that The Lawes Resolutions of Womens Rights cannot be regarded as a reliable legal sourceAlso addresses confusion over the status of a range of other early printed legal handbooks
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9783030826086
Publisert
2021-11-03
Utgiver
Vendor
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Vekt
345 gr
Høyde
210 mm
Bredde
148 mm
Aldersnivå
Research, P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet

Forfatter

Biographical note

Helen Barker gained her PhD having studied at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK.