Scotch Verdict

The Real-Life Story That Inspired "The Children's Hour"

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Gay & Lesbian, Drama History & Criticism
Cover of the book Scotch Verdict by Lillian Faderman, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lillian Faderman ISBN: 9780231533249
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: January 8, 2013
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Lillian Faderman
ISBN: 9780231533249
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: January 8, 2013
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

In 1810, a Scottish student named Jane Cumming accused her school mistresses, Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods, of having an affair in the presence of their students. Dame Helen Cumming Gordon, the wealthy and powerful grandmother of the accusing student, advised her friends to remove their daughters from the Drumsheugh boarding school. Within days, the institution was deserted and the two women were deprived of their livelihoods.

Award-winning author Lillian Faderman recreates the events surrounding this notorious case, which became the basis for Lillian Hellman's famous play, The Children's Hour. Reconstructing the libel suit filed by Pirie and Woods—which resulted in a scotch verdict, or a verdict of inconclusive/not proven—Faderman builds a compelling narrative from court transcripts, judges' notes, witnesses' contradictory testimony, and the prejudices of the men presiding over the case. Her fascinating portrait documents the social, economic, and sexual pressures shaping the lives of nineteenth-century women and the issues of class and gender contributing to their marginalization.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1810, a Scottish student named Jane Cumming accused her school mistresses, Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods, of having an affair in the presence of their students. Dame Helen Cumming Gordon, the wealthy and powerful grandmother of the accusing student, advised her friends to remove their daughters from the Drumsheugh boarding school. Within days, the institution was deserted and the two women were deprived of their livelihoods.

Award-winning author Lillian Faderman recreates the events surrounding this notorious case, which became the basis for Lillian Hellman's famous play, The Children's Hour. Reconstructing the libel suit filed by Pirie and Woods—which resulted in a scotch verdict, or a verdict of inconclusive/not proven—Faderman builds a compelling narrative from court transcripts, judges' notes, witnesses' contradictory testimony, and the prejudices of the men presiding over the case. Her fascinating portrait documents the social, economic, and sexual pressures shaping the lives of nineteenth-century women and the issues of class and gender contributing to their marginalization.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Killing the Moonlight by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book The Financiers of Congressional Elections by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Radical History and the Politics of Art by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Talking About Torture by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Political Theology by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Beyond Individualism by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book The Fate of Wonder by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Evolutionary Biogeography by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945 by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book There’s No Such Thing as a Sexual Relationship by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Taking It Big by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Growth and Policy in Developing Countries by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book But Enough About Me by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers by Lillian Faderman
Cover of the book The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Lillian Faderman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy