“Extraordinary” Charges: Representations of Rape in England Newspapers from the 1860s and the 1960s

This paper examines four newspaper reports on rape allegations in England, two each in both the mid-Victorian period around the 1860s and then the late 20th century period around the 1960s, and analyses the coverage at four levels – the depiction of the charge, the introduction of characters, the presentation of facts, and the commentary of the newspaper – to reveal English attitudes toward women and sexual offenses across these time periods.