Book

A law unto herself

Davis, Rebecca Harding, 1831-1910, author, Renfroe, Alicia Mischa, editor

Overview

\"A scathing critique of the legal status of women and their property rights in nineteenth-century America, Rebecca Harding Davis's 1878 novel A Law Unto Herself chronicles the experiences of Jane Swendon, a seemingly naive and conventional nineteenth-century protagonist struggling to care for her elderly father with limited financial resources. In order to continue care, Jane seeks to secure her rightful inheritance despite the efforts of her cousin and later her husband, a greedy man who has tricked her father into securing her hand in marriage. Appealing to middle-class literary tastes of the age, A Law Unto Herself elucidated for a broad general audience the need for legal reforms regarding divorce, mental illness, inheritance, and reforms to the Married Women's Property Laws. Through three fascinating female characters, the novel also invites readers to consider evolving gender roles during a time of cultural change\"-- Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Subject: Women Legal status, laws, etc. United States Fiction. / Women United States History 19th century Fiction. / Law reform United States Fiction. / Gender identity Fiction. / FICTION / Historical. / HISTORY / United States / 19th Century. / SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies.
• ISBN: 9780803238145, 0803238142

Item info:

1 item available

1 item total in all locations

Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
PS1517.L3 2014	1	BOOK	GENERAL