Fin-de-Siécle Women
Fin-de-Siécle Women

Summary/Abstract: In May 1896, the Hungarian Police Gazette felt it incumbent upon itself to devote an entire article to a contemporary phenomenon that was not only glaringly present, but also a source of moral outrage to many crimes committed by women. Examining the years 1888 and 1893, the “moral statistician” Miklós Rédey found that nearly 30 percent of all criminals were women. The situation was actually worse; as he writes: “time and time again we see that sin was born of woman, but she lacks the necessary strength and determination, and so she encourages man to commit it.” It sounds like the biblical story come to life: women make men their partner in crime. Matters are further complicated by the fact that woman “in her very nature is unfathomable, almost inscrutable.” The author nevertheless attempts to uncover the mystical driving force behind crimes committed by women.

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