Mondo Lizzie Borden

A new book by A. Cheree Carlson was published by the University of Illinois Press, in December of last year, that includes a chapter on the Lizzie Borden case of 1892.

The Crimes of Womanhood: Defining Femininity in a Court of Law.

This book has seven chapters, and one entire one is devoted to Lizzie. Chapter six is titled: “Womanhood An Asset and Liability: Lizzie Andrew Borden”

Here is the review and product description from amazon.com

Review
“This enjoyable and readable book adds significantly to our understanding of the construction and embodiment of gender during the 1860s through the 1920s. A nuanced, complex mosaic of public conversations about gender.” Martha Watson, author of Lives of Their Own: Rhetorical Dimensions in Autobiographies of Women Activists “Written in a lively style and full of insightful analysis, The Crimes of Womanhood offers an important contribution to rhetorical scholarship. The book will make an excellent addition to courses exploring the intersections of rhetoric, gender, and/or the law in the U.S. I look forward to using it.” Sara Hayden, professor of communication studies, University of Montana “A provocative read. Carlson illustrates the ways that historical legal narratives–presented as factual, neutral, and objective–were, indeed, highly rhetorical and highly gendered. Her call for a rhetorical reframing of our narratives regarding women, both within the legal realm and outside it, is nothing less than call for expanding our cultural repertoire of the possibilities for successful femininity.” Cindy L. Griffin, co-editor of Feminist Rhetorical Theories: A Reader

Product Description
Cultural views of femininity exerted a powerful influence on the courtroom arguments used to defend or condemn notable women on trial in nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century America. A. Cheree Carlson analyzes the colorful rhetorical strategies employed by lawyers and reporters in the trials of several women of varying historical stature, from the insanity trials of Mary Todd Lincoln and Lizzie Borden’s trial for the brutal slaying of her father and stepmother, to lesser-known trials involving insanity, infidelity, murder, abortion, and interracial marriage. Carlson reveals clearly just how narrow was the line that women had to walk, since the same womanly virtues that were expected of them–passivity, frailty, and purity–could be turned against them at any time. With gripping retellings and incisive analysis, this book will appeal to historians, rhetoricians, feminist researchers, and anyone who enjoys courtroom drama.

Today, the Fall River Herald News published an OUR VIEW opinion column endorsing Every House Has A Story.

So far, the feedback has been very positive to this city-wide initiative, supported not only by the Preservation Society of Fall River, Arts United Fall River, Save Our Neighborhoods, and the city of Fall River (and the Mayor’s office).

The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities is looking at this as a pilot program for other cities in the Commonwealth!

OUR VIEW: If these walls could talk, 06-21-09
The Herald News
Posted Jun 21, 2009 @ 12:00 AM
How often do we find ourselves examining our surroundings and wondering what discoveries we could make and lessons we could learn “if only these walls could talk?”

History is everywhere, especially in Fall River, an old mill city with many homes and factories more than 100 years old. Personal stories are written all over the walls of closely packed triple-decker tenements and sprawling stone-and-brick mill buildings — stories just waiting to be told. Now, thanks to a new community-based Web site, those walls are coming to life, promising to impart the kind of wisdom and advice for future prosperity that only history can provide.

“Every House has a Story” was born out of local historian Stephanie Koorey’s curiosity about the history of her own home, which, she discovered, was once owned by Fall River’s most notorious resident, Lizzie Borden. Every house, Koorey figured, has an equally fascinating story to tell; one that should be shared with the masses. Now it can be on http://everyhousehasastory.org.

The Wikipedia-like Web site allows anyone to contribute his or her own personal property tale. The Web site also provides a quick tutorial on how to research one’s own home and provides resources to research house deeds, architectural styles and chain of ownership, among other pieces of information.

The organizers hope the community embraces Every House has a Story and the site eventually features hundreds of stories detailing the history of the city’s homes, and telling the story of the city itself. The program is as community-oriented as it gets, offering Fall Riverites the chance not only to tell of their own place in the city’s history, but to detail the stories of those who helped make Fall River what it is, helping contribute to and sustain the fabric of the community. It can involve homeowners, politicians, even students. Every House has a Story is partnering with B.M.C. Durfee High School, which is allowing work on the Web site as part of its summer reading program.

Young and old are encouraged to become amateur sleuths, examining property records, census figures and newspaper clippings, and exploring every nook and cranny of one’s own home. The Web site provides an invaluable educational experience, expanding one’s knowledge of local history, architecture, demographics, even politics and governance. It also encourages residents to become more resourceful and curious, keys to learning and progressing. Who knows what fascinating discoveries are waiting to be found?

Such community pride as Koorey has obviously achieved can be difficult to find. No, Fall River is not a perfect city. It has more than its fair share of crime, poverty and pollution. It has a high unemployment rate and low educational attainment compared to more affluent cities in the commonwealth. But few communities can boast the cultural diversity, fascinating history and potential that can be found in the Spindle City. In a way, Fall River is a reflection of what America once was. It is not a rich city — financially, anyway — but is made up of hardworking, blue-collar people with diverse backgrounds who take pride in an honest day’s work and making a small contribution to society. There is honor in such a life.

“I think a sense of place is important to loving where you live,” Koorey said. “If people start realizing their connection to the city, then we won’t take it for granted.”

Every House has a Story helps Fall River reflect on its colorful past and find that honor once again.

I introduced the Mayor of Fall River today at a press conference held by the Preservation Society of Fall River, Arts United, Save Our Neighborhoods, and the City of Fall River. He was gracious with his complements of our new initiative titled “Every House Has A Story,” where citizens and interested parties can participate in recording and preserving the stories of their homes in Fall River.

The website is EveryHouseHasAStory.org and we invite people who have lived in the city, but may not even live here now, to log in, create an account, and post your history of your house.

“Every House Has A Story,” is a program to inspire children and adults of all ages to expand their pride in their city, with its rich cultural diversity and history—whether they live in a Victorian mansion in the Highlands or a three-decker up the Flint.

An article appears in Friday’s Herald News, which was posted online tonight.

Cameron Munson, center

In the most recent issue of The Hatchet, I conducted an extensive interview with wunderkind filmmaker Cameron Munson, who was in post-production for his short independent film, Bordenia.

He graciously sent me a copy of the 21-minute film and I watched it the day before yesterday.

I have to say I was immensely impressed by the high production value of this film. From the first frame, you can tell you are watching a well done movie. One can sense the craftsmanship from the titles onward. Of particular note is the fabulous lighting. Mood and tone are perfectly set by the way in which color and intensity is executed.

The story is quite unusual and you never know what is going to happen next. With a minute to go until the end, I had no idea where Munson would leave us.

The film is not a retelling of the Borden case, yet the characters are named after the true people from Fall River. The situation is only somewhat similar, and the film is placed in modern times. Bordenia is definitely an art film with this layer of Borden overtones, both subtle and direct.

I think what Munson is doing is taking us from the known to the unknown, using location and situation to really tell a different kind of story. The movie was filmed in Intercourse, PA, which looks nothing like Fall River, yet the titles claim that that is where we are. I believe this to be intentional bluffing, and I really like that quality of the film. We know something about this story in our deepest psyches, so we are familiar with its themes. And yet, this isn’t Lizzie Borden nor is it really Fall River. It is some place cold where pain and tragedy reside.

The film has stayed with me, even after a day has passed, and, perhaps because the film is so short, I have strong memories of each scene.

When I watch a movie or read a book, I turn off the critic in me, and let the author/filmmaker do to me what they will. I give them the benefit of the doubt, always, that everything I see and hear was on purpose. I assume that the final product is a planned and decided work and all of it is intended to be as it is presented to me. That way, I can ride roller coaster and enjoy my experience as would anyone who may watch it later. I immerse myself, I guess you could say, in the story.

That said, I would like to say I sincerely appreciate what Munson is doing here. I know his vision is a remarkable thing, and his film exceeded my expectations in every way. Cameron Munson is going to be a name to reckon with in the future, no doubt. His film is unique and his Lizzie Borden, portrayed by actress Sarah Ann Corkum, is fabulous. She has a memorable face (an important asset in film) and her talent is quite evident in every scene. I liked the performances of everyone in the movie, but I must say the camera really ate up Corkum. It is clear to me she is going to go far.

I hope you one day get to see this film. Right now, I think, it is on the festival circuit, seeking awards and distribution.

It happened yet again! Another person said to me that people in Fall River couldn’t afford to pay $40 to see a play in the city. Fall River has become, for some, a punching bag that negative people use to vent their discontent. Some folks, apparently, simply can’t imagine that culture and art and music and history can thrive here. These same individuals don’t understand or see that Fall River is on the rise.

Of course, I jumped into that argument and let them know that they were mistaken, that there are loads of folks here who can “afford” the show, who feel good about attending an event that is a fundraiser for a local art group, who want a fun night out, and who will enjoy a great play about one of the city’s former and most famous citizens.

Just as they were insisting, really insisting, that they were right and I was naive, the word came in that Lizzie Borden Live had sold out! I was triumphant in winning this battle and expected the person to be surprised and a little happy for the show and the city. On the contrary, they humphed a few times and muttered that it was a fluke, and that it couldn’t happen again in a million years.

Talk about someone who needs an attitude adjustment!

Take that all those who feel like this city is so full of poor, uneducated, uncultured people that it cannot support good theatre. Take that to all who talk about Fall River as a lost soul who will never realize her magnificence. Take that to all who live far away and judge this place without mercy. Fall River is a city that will achieve its potential . . . one house, one art exhibit, one election, one person, one play, one day, at a time.

Today, from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m., WSAR radio in Fall River became one big Lizzie Borden lovefest. The Hurricane (Mike Herron) called me yesterday and asked me to participate in the program to touch upon the history of the case for thirty minutes. Then when Jack McCullough and Jill Dalton came in at 4, he asked me to stay.

It was a really wonderful interview and I think that Jill and Jack expressed their art quite well. Their love of this story and the show they have put their heart and soul into is evident. I never tire of hearing of their process, and Jill is especially lucid when talking about her vision and the story of the development of the show. All of this is as fascinating as the play itself!

“Mamma Ewe” Shelley Dziedzic and her Mutton Eaters was discussed at length in glowing terms, and the idea of her group dressing in period attire and helping at the event was very well received. The callers were very excited to hear that this was going to be part of the evening’s festivities.

There were phone calls from the city as well as distant states! One caller complained that the residents of the city of Fall River might find the ticket price of $40 out of their budget, as, she said, that is a lot of money for someone who lives in Fall RIver. . . .

Both myself and the Hurricane came down hard on this person as first of all, the $40 includes food and a trolley ride, plus the show, and secondly, Fall River is not on welfare! We can afford the ticket price here, thank you very much. It was quite an insult.

Other than that, it was a great time had by all. Now will the Hurricane get that Andrew Borden outfit he is asking for . . . . he plans to arrive at the show dressed as the old man, and promises to promote the show further.

Tickets are still available, but are going fast. Please visit LizzieBordenLive.com for tickets!

Saturday, June 20, 2009. Trolley service begins at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of The Eagle Performing Arts Center, 35 N. Main Street, Fall River, MA. Appetizers are served at 6:30 and the show begins at 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, June 16, actress and playwright Jill Dalton and director Jack McCullough will appear on WSAR radio to talk about their work on Lizzie Borden Live and their successful efforts to bring the show to Fall River.

Jill wrote and stars in the play and has developed a special affinity with Lizzie Borden, an historical “character” that she felt compelled to write about. With Fall River native Jack McCullough’s directorial vision, the show has evolved into a phenomenal production of Lizzie’s later life, after sister Emma has left her.

I have been invited to be on the radio as well, in the half hour before the team speaks about the show, discussing the history of the case and the fascination that Lizzie inspires worldwide.

Mike Herron (”The Hurricane”) will be conducting the interviews on his Hurricane’s Highway Home show.

There is a listen live link on the radio station’s site. My browser does not recognize it as a working media button, but I use a mac. Perhaps your computers, if a PC, will have better luck. Listen in! The radio show starts at 3:30 p.m.

More pieces by Marc Dion have popped up online tonight, advertising Lizzie Borden Live, which plays this weekend, on Saturday, June 20, the anniversary of Lizzie Borden’s acquittal.

That makes three in one paper for Tuesday’s print copy! How exciting!

Here is a link to all three articles:

Play Pulls Back the Curtain on Lizzie’s Post-Trial Life
Mutton Eaters Have a Taste for History
A Night of Dinner, Drinks, and Murder

A “photo” essay on the Lizzie Borden story appeared in the December, 1938, edition of Pic Magazine.

I blogged here about the Lizzie image in 2006, referring to the image of her as a “lipstick Lizzie.”

Here they are for your viewing pleasure! Click to enlarge.

Purchase your tickets here!

From the press release for Lizzie Borden Live—-

Lizzie Borden is coming back home to Fall River on the 116th anniversary of her acquittal in New Bedford Superior Court this June 20th. New York writer and actress, Jill Dalton, resurrects the spirit of Fall River’s most infamous character in a chilling, solo performance entitled, Lizzie Borden Live.

“I wanted to give Lizzie a voice to tell her own story following her day in court,” stated Ms. Dalton. “That’s something she was not able to do when she was doped up on morphine during her famous murder trial.”

Lizzie Andrew Borden was found innocent in a court of law, but judged guilty in the court of public opinion. She was condemned by society and shunned in her hometown. Ms. Dalton powerfully evokes Lizzie’s emotional turmoil and psychic trauma. She wrote the play from Lizzie’s point of view so that “the audience can hear her side of the story for the first time.”

The legend comes to life with humor, empathy and insight when Lizzie steps on stage at the Eagle Performing Arts Center on 35 North Main Street at 8 PM on Saturday, June 20th. This production, sponsored by the Luso American Gallery of Antiquities, is funded in part by grants from the John and Abigail Adams Program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Four Cities Collaborative of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

“In addition to this state support, the Mayor’s Office and the Arts Uniting Fall River collaborative have participated in the planning and promotion of this community event and fundraiser,” noted LAGOA curator, Stephen L. Cabral. “Our organization is committed to promoting the arts, preserving our cultural history and providing scholarship funds for promising students. Lizzie Borden Live will help support these goals.”

Jill Dalton is an award winning New York actress with a long list of television and theatre credits. She has appeared in Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, As the World Turns, All my Children, One Life to Live and Saturday Night Live. The East Lynne Theater Company in Cape May, New Jersey commissioned this play, which opened to standing ovations from the audience and critics alike. Ms. Dalton won the 2007 Jacoby Award for her portrayal in Lizzie Borden Live.

This dramatic crime thriller is set 13 years after the double murder at Maplecroft, the Highlands mansion Lizzie bought with money inherited from her father. According to the Red Rock News of Sedona, Arizona:

“Dalton gives a compelling performance capturing the humanity, humor, irony and sadness of a woman who had time to reflect on horrific events. She enacts a Lizzie that has never been portrayed anywhere in stage, screen or literature. ”

Fall River native son, Jack McCullough, is the director of the show, which has toured New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Arizona. Mr. McCullough, a graduate of the Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, RI, has also made his mark on stage and screen, but prefers to work behind the scenes of Lizizie Borden Live. Jack has envisioned this homecoming since the play first opened. He insists that this production will make the audience think twice.

“We are very excited about performing on stage in the heart of Lizzie’s old neighborhood. Jill and Lizzie have a compelling story to tell. People come to see Lizzie expecting to find a monster and instead they discover themselves.”

Check your calendar and order your $40 tickets from LAGOA, Inc. by calling 508-673-6624. Seating is limited to 160 so make your reservations now. The doors of the Eagle Performing Arts Center will open at 6:30 PM. Harpist, Judy Mitchell will set the musical tone for the night, and members of the MuttonEaters, dressed in period garb, will greet and engage the guests at the light buffet and cash bar prior to the show.

Lizzie Borden Live challenges the audience to rethink the legend that is Lizzie Borden. Think you know her? Think again!

Stephen L. Cabral, Ph.D.
Curator/President
Luso American Gallery of Antiquities, Inc. (LAGOA)
484 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720
Tel. 508-673-6624

Cowabunga!

The new book about Lizzie Borden and her Fall River being written by the curatorial staff at the Fall River Historical Society is going to change everything!

Everything we thought we knew about Miss Lizzie A. Borden, everything we have heard so far, read so far, seen so far, decided so far, is going to have to be revised. Parallel Lives is not only a highly entertaining exploration of Fall River’s turbulent history, but is a watershed treatise on one of America’s most enigmatic women.

For the very first time, we see the flesh and blood Lizzie Borden. She is now three-dimensional to us, with depth, and breadth, and length, and height. And the most remarkable thing about it all is that nobody who has written about her in the past has even come close to the real Lizzie. All those books, all those words, all those guesses and deductions and suppositions, all of them are going to be obsolete.

I can’t even recall a book that has done this type of work before—a book that takes a true historical person, an icon to masses, feared by some, and loathed by many more, and spins the story of their life so that the main character emerges as someone unexpected, someone who we have never met before, someone who has literally been made new.

You can throw away all of your other Lizzie Borden books when this one is published. You won’t need them anymore. In fact, you will mostly laugh at them and look back in wonder at how their authors have fallen short.

The folks at the Fall River Historical Society have added another “tantalizing tidbit” from their forthcoming book on Lizzie Borden—Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River.

This time it is a Lizzie Borden letter!

I wonder what goes in the blanks. Let’s guess!

Ric Rebelo is working on a master’s project titled Lizbeth: A Victorian Nightmare. It is all about the Lizzie Borden case and asks the question Who Killed the Bordens?

Five minutes of the project has been put together and posted on YouTube. It stars your truly (in my worst hairdo ever!), Len Rebello, author of Lizzie Borden Past & Present, and Jules Ryckebusch, former editor of The Lizzie Borden Quarterly.

The Fall River Historical Society, both online and in the brick and mortar gift shop on Rock Street, carries many Lizzie Borden items for sale, including the publications of PearTree Press.

Check them out for the two latest issues of The Hatchet: Lizzie Borden’s Journal of Murder, Mystery & Victorian History, The Preliminary Hearing in the Lizzie Borden Case, and Do Come in And Other Lizzie Borden Poems by Larry Allen.

The Fall River Historical Society is hosting a book signing on June 13 for photographer Richard Renaldi, the author of Fall River Boys. The book is garnering rave reviews.

The signing is from noon until 2:30PM at the Fall River Historical Society, 451 Rock Street, Fall River, MA. It will be the first Fall River signing of the artist. The book will be for sale at $85 plus applicable sales tax.

From the publisher’s website:

In the spring of 2000, Richard Renaldi began making frequent trips to the small New England city of Fall River, Massachusetts. Situated just a short distance from the Atlantic coast, Fall River was once at the very center of American textile manufacturing. Renaldi’s aim was to photograph the young men of Fall River coming of age amidst an industrial landscape well past its boom years. This extraordinary body of images—both portraits and landscapes—is gathered here for the first time in Renaldi’s second monograph, Fall River Boys.

The resulting photographs, made over the course of nine years, are not brief encounters. Renaldi’s quiet gaze considers his subjects with neither judgment nor irony. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of a city where young men grow into manhood surrounded by a landscape of idyllic natural beauty, frayed at the margins by darkened relics of an industrial past. Like the city of Fall River itself, the boys looking directly into Renaldi’s lens face an uncertain future, at once hinting of possibility yet promising nothing.

Fall River Boys is a beautiful, clothbound volume of 89 black-and-white images reproduced in rich tritone and published in an edition of 1200. The introduction is an original essay by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham.

Here is a link to Richard Renaldi’s blog.