The Case of the Married Woman

Fraser, Antonia

£10.99

Poet, pamphleteer and beauty, Caroline Norton dazzled 19th-century society with her vivacity and intelligence. After her marriage in 1828 to the MP George Norton, she continued to attract friends and admirers to her salon in Westminster, including the widowed Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. Racked with jealousy, George Norton took the PM to court, suing him for damages on account of his ‘Criminal Conversation’ (adultery) with Caroline. Despite an acquittal, Norton legally denied Caroline access to her 3 children under 7. He also claimed her income as an author for himself, since the copyrights of a married woman belonged to her husband. Caroline channelled her energies into reform: the rights of a married woman and specifically those of a mother. Antonia Fraser portrays a woman who refused to be curbed by the personal and political constraints of her time.

Available on backorder

Publish Date: 27/08/2022

Description

‘Before biography was fashionable, Antonia Fraser made the past popular’ Guardian

‘As a pure storyteller, Antonia Fraser has few equals’ Sunday Times

CAROLINE NORTON, a nineteenth-century heroine who wanted justice for women.

Poet, pamphleteer and artist’s muse, Caroline Norton dazzled 19-century society with her vivacity and intelligence. In 1836 Caroline underwent a dramatic trial when her jealous husband sued the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, for adultery. Provisions which are now taken for granted – such as the right of a mother to have access to her children – owe much to Caroline, who was determined to secure justice for women at all levels of society. Award-winning historian Antonia Fraser brilliantly portrays a woman who refused to be curbed by the personal and political constraints of her time.

Additional information

Weight 300 g
Dimensions 196 × 128 × 26 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

xvii, 286 , 16 unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

941.081092 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K