Rape in Early Modern England, 1st ed. 2021 Law, History and Criticism

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.

1. Critical Context and History.- 2. The Legal Framework.- 3. Statute Law.- 4. The Lawes Resolutions of Womens Rights.- 5. Conclusion.

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

Provides a legal and historical context from which to approach the subject of rape in early modern England Argues that The Lawes Resolutions of Womens Rights cannot be regarded as a reliable legal source Also addresses confusion over the status of a range of other early printed legal handbooks