Patricia Cline Cohen [NHC Fellow 1994-1995] uses the story of the murder of a young prostitute, Helen Jewett, as a lens to view gender, youth, and sexuality in the 19th century United States. Cohen situates issues of gender within the unique historical moment that population expansion, unsupervised youth, the rise of prostitution, and the growth of publicity and the reading public presented in the 1830s. Cohen also problematizes the relationship between sex and murder, noting that the sensationalism surrounding erotic violence was still in its formative stage in the 19th century.
Mystery Woman
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