| Description |
348 pages ; 24 cm |
| Contents |
Our general argument -- Status and mobility in the nineteenth century -- Sticks and stones : the law of defamation -- The Victorian compromise : slippage and control in the moral laws -- The anatomy of blackmail -- Good women, bad women : seduction, breach of promise and related matters -- Censorship : its rise and fall -- Into the twentieth century -- Privacy and reputation in the late twentieth century -- Defamation in contemporary times -- A summing up: and a cautious look at the future |
| Summary |
"Guarding Life's Dark Secrets tells the story of an intriguing aspect of the social and legal culture in the United States, the construction and destruction of a network of doctrines designed to protect reputation. The strict and unbending rules of decency and propriety of the nineteenth century, especially concerning sexual behavior, paradoxically provided ways to protect and shield respectable men and women who deviated from the official norms. This "Victorian compromise," which created an important zone of privacy, first came under attack from moralists for its tolerance of sin. During the second half of the twentieth century, the old structure was largely dismantled by an increasingly permissive society."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [273]-330) and index |
| Subject |
Privacy, Right of -- United States -- History.
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Libel and slander -- United States -- History.
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Sex and law -- United States -- History.
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| LC no. |
2007027940 |
| ISBN |
9780804757393 cloth alkaline paper |
|
0804757399 cloth alkaline paper |
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