Flawed arguments, structural misogyny and rape culture: court cases in contemporary literature

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article highlights the persistence and violence of rape culture not only insofar as it pertains to sexual aggression but also in reference to arguments used in court cases. The language and body language used by defence attorneys add to the psychological pain suffered by the victim in having to face her aggressor(s) and relive a traumatic experience. I will analyse some contemporary British and Spanish works of literature that bring to the fore the structural misogyny women face today. Louise Doughty’s novel Apple Tree Yard and Jordi Casanovas’s play Jauría (Wolfpack) are particularly explicit in their treatment of court cases concerning rape while drawing on certain characteristics of verbatim theatre. The gang rape and subsequent trials that are at the core of Wolfpack attracted international attention because they clearly signalled towards a persistent loathing of and disregard for women.