Student Proposal 2

"Fiction and the Law in Victorian England: the Alibi Defense

As and English and History double major, I am very interested in the historical and social perspectives behind works of literature and how they are depicted within the texts. Throughout my studies, I have found the Victorian Era in Great Britain to be particularly fascinating because of the great changes that can be seen in the politics and social attitudes, which are then integrated into literature. To develop a background in European history and the Victorian era, I have taken survey history courses in western civilization. I also have taken courses such as Victorian Fiction, French literature and composition, and am currently taking British Literature II in order to gain a larger literary and historical perspective of the nineteenth century. I believe that these courses have better prepared me for the research in which I would be participating this summer.

In working with my advisor, I will be researching the alibi defense as it is presented in nineteenth century Great Britain. The research will tie in with the introduction to his book. I will begin by examining nineteenth century journals and looking for articles about crime and the alibi defense. I also will look at newspapers from that time period, especially those that discuss particular cases found in the journals. These resources will provide me with an historical framework for the literary aspects of the research. I will then begin to investigate novels that contain uses of alibi. During my research, I will write up summaries of my work, and I will also write a paper detailing a particular part of law and literature in the Victorian Era that strikes me as beneficial to both my research and that of my advisor. Throughout the summer, I will also be examining other aspects of law and literature such as the connection between women and the court. This project will act as an extension of the investigation of alibi. As such, I will look at discussions on and pictures of women within courts. I will use these mediums to research their complex roles within the law as spectacles and public speakers as well as their connection to alibis.

The methods I will use will require research of both nineteenth century history and literature. I will begin my research with E.M. Palmegiano's Crime in Victorian Britain: An Annotated Bibliography from Nineteenth Century Magazines, ìPalmer's Index to the Timesî database, and various nineteenth century magazines, newspapers, and databases on the nineteenth century. As the research moves into the literary aspect, I will use Jon L. Breen's Novel Verdicts: A Guide to Courtroom Fiction and an assortment of nineteenth century novels. The three reference texts will act as a basis from which other texts and sources come throughout the summer.

The projected timetable of my research will begin with nineteenth century magazines and newspapers before moving into literature and other secondary sources. During Weeks One and Two, I will read the basic introductions of history of crime in the Victorian Period. I will also begin collecting and copying articles from Victorian journals on crime that discuss the alibi defense and/or gender while discussing my findings with my advisor. In Weeks Three to Five, I will continue collecting journal articles and begin to read and take notes on them. I will discuss the articles with my advisor and provide him with copies of the articles that will contribute to his research of the alibi defense in Victorian Britain. During Weeks Six and Seven, I will move towards looking at newspaper articles that I have discovered through my research with the Victorian journals. I will copy them and take notes as I had done with the Victoria journals. During Weeks Eight to Ten, I will read some Victorian novels relevant to the research. I will tie together my research with the journals and newspapers and how they relate to the depictions of the courtroom and law within the novels. I will also write up a conclusion of my research and map out a general direction for my research in the next semester.

In working with my advisor, I will be helping him collect research for his book and future projects. Since I am especially interested in class and gender issues in Victorian Great Britain, I would be interested in seeing how these issues relate to who spoke in court, what was said, how it was portrayed, and how it affected the alibi defense. I would find the women and court research to be beneficial in that it provides a gender perspective while giving me the means through which to discover how social class and politics also affected the law and literature. Through this research, I am hoping to discover a potential thesis topic for my senior year. I am also hoping to refine my researching skills in order to gain greater success and independence in the future as a literary and historical scholar.

1) Victorian journal articles selected from Palmegiano, E.M. Crime in Victorian Britain. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993. Examples:
a) Chadwick, Edwin. ìCriminal Procedure.î Westminster Review XXXV (1841). Pages 1-23
b) Bulwer, Edward. ìOn English Notions of Morality.î The New Monthly Magazine XXXIV(1832). Pages 22-25.

2) Victorian newspaper reports, especially coverage of selected trials (such as Maria Manning's trial) in The London Times and The Police Gazette.

3) ìPalmer's Index to the Times.î Online. Historical Newspapers Online.

4) Breen, Jon L. Novel Verdicts: A Guide To Courtroom Fiction. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1984.

5) Selected Victorian Novels containing courtroom trial scenes. Example: Gaskell, Elizabeth. Mary Barton. New York: The Century Company, 1906.

6) Secondary sources on the history of crime in Victorian England. Examples:
a) Emsley, Clive. Crimes and Society in England 1750-1900. London: Longman, 1996.
b) Tobias, J. Crime and Industrial Society in the Nineteenth Century. London: Batsford, 1967.

Faculty Letter of Support