“An Exoneration Ardently Commented on”. The Punishment of Adultery as an Act of Personal Justice in a Novel by Camil Petrescu Cover Image

„O achitare pătimaş comentată”. Pedepsirea adulterului ca act de justiţie personală într-un roman de Camil Petrescu
“An Exoneration Ardently Commented on”. The Punishment of Adultery as an Act of Personal Justice in a Novel by Camil Petrescu

Author(s): Andy Puşcă, Cristinel Munteanu
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Editura Alma Mater
Keywords: literary realism; Camil Petrescu; adultery; Roman law; the status of women

Summary/Abstract: Taking as a starting point an excerpt from a modern novel written by Camil Petrescu, we have tried to analyse the conditions, prejudices, as well as the legal reasons which might have led to the formulation of a certain verdict following a trial in the Romania of the beginning of the 20th century. The respective literary episode refers to the decision of the Jury Court in Bucharest to acquit, in 1916, a husband who killed his unfaithful wife. The decision is a surprising one for most of the public opinion, since at that time women had already obtained certain rights, no longer being treated inhumanely, as it often happened in the previous centuries. In order to understand why such a decision was taken, the reconstruction of a certain thinking framework was required, one influenced by customs, traditions and prejudices, which was meant to justify the respective verdict. We have tried to outline such a reconstruction in this paper, while also making a brief incursion in the history of feminine adultery penalty from the (more or less) civilized world.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 37
  • Page Range: 181-192
  • Page Count: 11
  • Language: Romanian