Death Comes to the Maiden - Sex and Execution 1431-1933

In 1791, the French femme de lettres Olympe de Gouges wrote that 'as women have the right to take their places on the scaffold, they must also have the right to take their seats in government'. This book explores the issues of female emancipation through the history of female execution, from the burning of Joan of Arc in 1431 to the events of the French revolution.

Concentrating on individual victims, the author addresses the sexual attitudes and prejudices encountered by women condemned to death. She examines the horrific treatment of those denounced as witches and reveals the gruesome reality of death by hanging, burning or the guillotine. In an attempt to uncover the historical truth behind such figures as Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Manon Roland and Charlotte Corday, she goes beyond biography to consider their deaths in symbolic terms. She also considers writers such as Genet, Yourcenar and Brecht and their treatment of the tragic, sacrificial and erotic aspects of female execution.

List of contents

Preface Introduction 1. Burials and Burnings 2. Beheading 3. Hanging 4. Dame Guillotine 5. The Art of Immolation. Conclusion

About the author

Camille Naish

Summary

In 1791, the French femme de lettres Olympe de Gouges wrote that 'as women have the right to take their places on the scaffold, they must also have the right to take their seats in government'. This book explores the issues of female emancipation through the history of female execution, from the burning of Joan of Arc in 1431 to the events of the French revolution.

Product details

• Authors: Camille Naish, Naish Camille
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.07.2014
• EAN: 9781138008106
• ISBN: 978-1-138-00810-6
• No. of pages: 296
• Series: Routledge Library Editions: Women's History; Routledge Library Editions: Wo; Routledge Library Editions: Women's History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Cultural history; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Law > Criminal law, criminal procedural law, criminology; Sociology, HISTORY / General, REFERENCE / General, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / Modern / 19th Century, HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century, HISTORY / Modern / 18th Century, Legal History, Social and cultural history, Gender studies: women, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, Crime and criminology, Crime & criminology, Gender studies: women and girls, History and Archaeology, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, HISTORY / Europe / Renaissance