The Female Offender

by Cesare Lombroso

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909 Excerpt: ...figure in society: and Plancher murdered her brother-in-law because he was rich and respected while she and her husband were poor. Naturally these sentiments of hatred are most ferocious when excited by an offence to the feelings which are strongest in women and represent their worst passions. If sexuality comes to complicate jealousy and vengeance these manifest themselves under a more terrible aspect than usual. M for instance, poisoned a friend, a member of the demimonde, because of her beauty and social success. Sometimes the hatred which fills these women has no cause whatever, and springs from blind and innate perversity. Many adulteresses, many poisoners commit perfectly uncalled-for crimes. Imperious and violent, they dominate the weak husbands, who, out of fear of the consequences ot any attempt at control, leave them free to go their own way, and thus generate towards themselves a hatred in inverse proportion to the indulgence they have exhibited. The elderly husband of Madame Fraikin shut his eyes to her profligacy; he was ill and had but a few months to live; yet she had not the patience to await his death, but murdered him. Madame Simon's case is identical. Madame Moulins had been married against her will to a rough but excellent man, who treated her as a sister, tolerated her adultery with the man she loved before marriage, and even went so far as to acknowledge her son as his own. Nevertheless she hated him every day more intensely. "He must die!" she exclaimed continually; and she caused him to be murdered. During twenty years Enjalbert's husband never addressed a reproach to her on the subject of her dissolute life; but at last he mildly complained, and roused such a hatred towards himself in her that she murdered him. Jegado cons...

Genres: Nonfiction

148 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2015

About the author

Italian criminologist, physician, and founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. Lombroso rejected the established Classical School, which held that crime was a characteristic trait of human nature.

Instead, using concepts drawn from physiognomy, early eugenics, psychiatry and Social Darwinism, Lombroso's theory of anthropological criminology essentially stated that criminality was inherited, and that someone "born criminal" could be identified by physical defects, which confirmed a criminal as savage, or atavistic.

Reviews

[Megan J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wickedly interesting

:)

[Zahra · Rating 2 out of 5]

his theories aren't great in the modern era, but it was definitely interesting to read & use for my paper

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 1895 edition first issued by Harvard in this country. During his time, Lombroso was a noted criminologist, but as advanced as his thinking was in 1895, it is definitely dated today. Especially his theories on female offenders. It's the usual: hysteria, rape, tattoos and thievery. There was a criminal "face" and body type. I read this strictly as a thing of misogynistic interest.