Blessin Adams's book, Thou Savage Woman, explores the fascinating and often horrifying stories of female killers in the early modern era. The book delves into why these women, though rare, provoke such intense public fascination and horror, highlighting societal reactions to women who defy norms.
Blessin Adams's Thou Savage Woman is a compelling exploration of female killers in the early modern era. The book examines why these women, though rare, capture such intense public fascination and horror. Adams, a former police officer turned academic, uses court documents, pamphlets, ballads, and letters to reconstruct these stories, offering insights into a time of radical change and shifting gender dynamics. The cases highlight how women's behavior was scrutinized and how their crimes were often used as warnings about maintaining social order. The book also delves into the harsh punishments meted out to female murderers, who were often burned at the stake for petty treason, and how their stories were sensationalized in popular culture.
Quick quotes
Female killers have always been subjects of horror and fascination, as Blessin Adams shows in her brilliant book, Thou Savage Woman.
Adams is a former police officer turned academic, and although she does not write here about her policing background, she is clear about her motivations to create this compendium: to explore why women murderers get the most attention.
Female murderers were, in turn, also punished more harshly: a man who killed his wife was guilty of murder, a woman of petty treason.