| Description |
xvii, 286 pages, : illustrations (chiefly color), genealogical tables, 16 unnumbered pages of plates ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-265) and index. |
| Contents |
Prologue: she does not exist -- Part one: Starry night. Child in a dark wood -- 'Here she comes!' -- Melbourne's hat -- What Mr Norton liked -- Part two: Summer's gone. Helpless -- Extraordinary trial -- Given against whom? -- Hungry for the children -- Woman's tears and the law -- Part three: Half in shade, half in sun. Heavenly Norton -- Lost companions -- The name of writer -- Let him claim the copyright -- Part Four: the winds of change. Reaping in joy? -- Nonna wants the pen -- Floated away from show -- Epilogue: One of the little hinges. |
| Summary |
"Caroline Norton dazzled nineteenth-century society with her vivacity, her intelligence, her poetry, and in her role as an artist's muse. After her marriage in 1828 to the MP George Norton, she continued to attract friends and admirers to her salon in Westminster, which included the young Disraeli. Most prominent among her admirers was the widowed Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. Racked with jealousy, George Norton took the Prime Minister to court, suing him for damages on account of his 'Criminal Conversation' (adultery) with Caroline. A dramatic trial followed. Despite the unexpected and sensational result—acquittal—Norton was still able to legally deny Caroline access to her three children, all under seven. He also claimed her income as an author for himself, since the copyrights of a married woman belonged to her husband. Yet Caroline refused to despair. Beset by the personal cruelties perpetrated by her husband and a society whose rules were set against her, she chose to fight, not surrender. She channeled her energies in an area of much-needed reform: the rights of a married woman and specifically those of a mother. Over the next few years she campaigned tirelessly, achieving her first landmark victory with the Infant Custody Act of 1839. Provisions which are now taken for granted, such as the right of a mother to have access to her own children, owe much to Caroline, who was determined to secure justice for women at all levels of society from the privileged to the dispossessed"-- provided by the publisher. |
| Subject |
Norton, Caroline Sheridan, 1808-1877.
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Norton, George Chappele, 1800-1875 -- Marriage.
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Women authors, English -- 19th century -- Biography.
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Authors, English -- 19th century -- Biography.
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Trials (Adultery) -- Great Britain.
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Women -- Political activity -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
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Women's rights -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century.
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| Genre |
Biographies.
|
| Added Title |
Caroline Norton and her fight for women's justice |
| ISBN |
9781639361571 |
|
163936157X |
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