Focusing on the legal context of writing about rape in early modern England, the book addresses prevalent misunderstandings surrounding rape law and its historical statutes. Helen Barker highlights the confusion surrounding terms like 'ravishment' and explores how rape law historically intersected with issues of elopement and abduction. Offering a concise overview of these legal frameworks, the author emphasizes the broader social context beyond gender dynamics, while also critiquing the reliance on a seventeenth-century treatise as an authoritative source.
