Beyond Deviant Damsels: Re-evaluating Female Criminality in the Nineteenth Century

Beyond Deviant Damsels challenges gendered stereotypes of women in nineteenth-century crime by examining cases where women defied societal expectations and acted beyond conventional gender roles. The book highlights the existence of cultural discussions about open-ended female misbehavior in Victorian Britain and suggests that historiography may have limited our understanding of Victorian female criminality.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Beyond Deviant Damsels challenges numerous prevailing notions about the criminal behavior of women in the 19th century. In the past, historical accounts have often constructed gendered stereotypes of women, portraying them as engaging in self-defense, serving as lesser accomplices to male criminals, committing crimes that require minimal physical effort, or pursuing purportedly feminine goals (such as material acquisition). This study seeks to counteract these gendered assumptions by examining instances where women pushed societal boundaries through their own actions, ultimately presenting them as more akin to men in their capacity and execution of criminal behavior.

The book provides examples where women defied these stereotypes, showcasing the existence of a cultural discourse in Victorian Britain regarding open-ended female misbehavior. This raises questions about the role of stereotyping in the history of criminality. These individual challenges to the perceived gendered status quo in Victorian Britain did not evoke spontaneous outrage, and attempts to control and eradicate such behavior were fragmented and unsuccessful. As such, the treatment of women in Victorian society emerges as uncertain and confused, as much as it was characterized by a moralistic stance.

From this perspective, Beyond Deviant Damsels aims to re-evaluate our contemporary perception of female criminals by suggesting that historiography may have played a role in limiting the portrayal of Victorian female criminality and behavior from that time until the present. By delving into detailed case studies and challenging gendered stereotypes, the book offers a fresh perspective on the history of women and crime in the 19th century, shedding light on the complexities and nuances of their experiences.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 164 x 240 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198830733