Title Swindler, spy, rebel : the confidence woman in nineteenth-century America / Kathleen De Grave

Published Columbia : University of Missouri Press, ©1995

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Description 1 online resource (x, 270 pages) Contents 1. Confronting the confidence woman -- 2. The confidence woman in context -- 3. Types of confidence women in history -- 4. Autobiographies of confidence women -- 5. Literature : muting the voice -- 6. The writer as confidence woman -- 7. Stowe to Wharton : a bold move Summary One would not expect a police officer to describe a criminal as "remarkable," "well worth knowing," or "excellent." Yet some did when their quarry was a confidence woman. Blackmailer, swindler, or pickpocket: the confidence woman could take any form. Regardless of their different motives and tactics, confidence women have much in common, for they have long been misrepresented in American literature and culture. In Swindler, Spy, Rebel: The Confidence Woman in Nineteenth-Century America, Kathleen De Grave redresses the exaggerations and distortions by examining how the line between fact and fiction blurs Drawing from a variety of sources, such as memoirs, diaries, detective reports, newspaper accounts, and sociological studies written during the period, De Grave first presents a historical context. By comparing the exploits of such women as "Chicago May" Churchill, "Big Bertha" Heyman, and Ellen Peck to those of fictional women who used the same strategies in noncriminal situations, De Grave broadens the definition of the confidence woman beyond criminality to include adventuresses, soldiers/spies, and "gold diggers." Next, she relates how the confidence woman appears in autobiographies and in fiction. She further expands her argument to include the narrative devices of nineteenth-century women writers who used a kind of confidence game as a way to lure their readers into the text Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-262) and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL English digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL Print version record Subject American prose literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism Swindlers and swindling -- United States -- History -- 19th century Women and literature -- United States -- History -- 19th century Alienation (Social psychology) in literature. Swindlers and swindling in literature. Female offenders in literature. Women spies in literature. Deception in literature. LITERARY CRITICISM -- American -- General. Alienation (Social psychology) in literature American prose literature Deception in literature Female offenders in literature Swindlers and swindling Swindlers and swindling in literature Women and literature Women spies in literature Spion Betrüger Motiv Literatur Frau Motiv United States USA Genre/Form Criticism, interpretation, etc. History Form Electronic book LC no. 95010288 ISBN 0826260314 9780826260314

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