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| cohen_unregulated_youths [2026/02/12 22:47] – [Masculine Subcultures & the Context of the Helen Jewett Murder] cspivy | cohen_unregulated_youths [2026/02/13 16:41] (current) – [Homosocial Masculinity, Double Standards, and Injustice] 199.111.65.11 |
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| Patricia Cohen's narrative is dedicated to the study of the murder of Helen Jewett in 1836. According to the author, this murder should be understood in a broader context of masculine subcultures, as their analysis can contribute to an understanding of the social background of the murder. P. Cohen distinguishes between three subcultural groups: young clerks and merchants, working-class ruffians, and newspapermen. Each of these subcultures had its own particular features and ways of expressing masculinity. In particular, the details of the murder and trial revealed the complexity of clerks’ and merchants’ masculinity, as the latter included an element of "sporting culture." This phenomenon refers to an active heterosexual sexual life outside of marriage as a certain performance of masculinity among middle-class males. On the one hand, participation in this culture was a sign of respect and prowess among male friends. On the other hand, it was forbidden by middle-class morality with an emphasis on sexual virtue and self-control. This paradox indicates the complexity of the case as well as the ambiguity of New York middle-class life, substantially contributing to nineteenth-century understandings of gender. - Nikolai Kotkov | Patricia Cohen's narrative is dedicated to the study of the murder of Helen Jewett in 1836. According to the author, this murder should be understood in a broader context of masculine subcultures, as their analysis can contribute to an understanding of the social background of the murder. P. Cohen distinguishes between three subcultural groups: young clerks and merchants, working-class ruffians, and newspapermen. Each of these subcultures had its own particular features and ways of expressing masculinity. In particular, the details of the murder and trial revealed the complexity of clerks’ and merchants’ masculinity, as the latter included an element of "sporting culture." This phenomenon refers to an active heterosexual sexual life outside of marriage as a certain performance of masculinity among middle-class males. On the one hand, participation in this culture was a sign of respect and prowess among male friends. On the other hand, it was forbidden by middle-class morality with an emphasis on sexual virtue and self-control. This paradox indicates the complexity of the case as well as the ambiguity of New York middle-class life, substantially contributing to nineteenth-century understandings of gender. - Nikolai Kotkov |
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| | Cohen puts particular emphasis on the differences between the young ruffians and the clerks in her description of the reactions to Jewett's murder and the subsequent trial of Richard Robinson, who was ultimately acquitted. Cohen describes how, since violence towards and resentment of higher status sex workers had a class element, the reaction to her murder was also divided by class, though possibly in unexpected ways. A gang formed by lower class men which claimed to support Jewett likely were influenced by their opposition to the clerks rather than genuine care for Jewett's suffering. The clerks, in turn, were overwhelmingly supportive of Robinson, a fellow clerk, even elevating him to an almost celebrity status (complete with a mob of fans on one occasion). (Cameron Spivy) |
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| The concept of erotic male bonding as something positive is interesting to conceptualize because instead of the men bonding with each other through other means, they chose to bond over a shared woman. This idea is unique because it almost shows that manhood cannot be achieved without a woman as a dependent variable. This notion is reinforced when men would use aliases to reduce recreational exposure to protect reputations and conceal relationships from women. The combination of sharing women and concealment fosters the revelation that manhood is expressed through means of risk, sex, and secrecy. (Reiley Gibson) | The concept of erotic male bonding as something positive is interesting to conceptualize because instead of the men bonding with each other through other means, they chose to bond over a shared woman. This idea is unique because it almost shows that manhood cannot be achieved without a woman as a dependent variable. This notion is reinforced when men would use aliases to reduce recreational exposure to protect reputations and conceal relationships from women. The combination of sharing women and concealment fosters the revelation that manhood is expressed through means of risk, sex, and secrecy. (Reiley Gibson) |
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| | Sex being a way that men bonded in this era, with homosocial relationships being how some prostitutes gained their clientele through recommendations or friends bringing others that they know would like the services of certain women. This creates an interesting double standard of who is allowed to feel a sense of loyalty to the other. While men would share the woman with their friends or other men they meet through this connection, there is evidence of the prostitute feeling a sense of loyalty to them from their clientele. This sense of loyalty or more-so a claim on the men was shared by the prostitutes who worked in the same house, not wanting to share their clients with the other women. (Sage Milton) |
