The book Jane by Maggie Nelson focuses on Nelson’s aunt Jane, but more importantly, on her murder and rape as seen through the eyes of those who outlived her. Jane’s rape and murder took place in 1969, when rape was rarely touched upon in newspapers or reported in broadcasts. Jane’s own murder and sexual molestation focused on the murderer more than on celebrating Jane’s life as seen in parts of news clippings Nelson included as poems in the book. Newspapers at the time were not as interested in reporting the sexual assault because study of rape culture was popularized in the 1980s because of the widespread usage of date rape drugs. Rebecca Nagle states that rape culture is “a culture where people are surrounded with…everyday phenomena that
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The base level is victimization, which normalizes sexual problematic ways others behave towards women. This includes statements such as “boys will be boys” or “locker room talk” that rationalizes men’s poor behavior in the way they speak about and treat women. This is the type of rape culture most commonly seen on television. The next level is degradation which is when people feel degraded to feeling like they are just a sexual item for others. Degradation includes cat calling, men following women on the street with sexual intentions, and unsolicited sexual pictures. Many people will confuse this with victimization since this type of behavior does not have a “real” punishment. The following level is the removal of autonomy. The person now feels unhuman and extremely unsafe in an environment meant to be safe. The behavior that comes with removal of autonomy is groping and grabbing and threats of rape and assault and battery. They are the smaller, more worrisome physical or verbal signs that usually lead to rape if the victim does not speak up. The final level is explicit violence against a victim. This includes rape, murder molestation, and assault and battery. Nelson would never know what could’ve been, since Jane experienced a murder molestation years before Nelson’s birth. Back then, Jane’s murder was the main problem in the media which was very important, but her rape was only mentioned
The base level is victimization, which normalizes sexual problematic ways others behave towards women. This includes statements such as “boys will be boys” or “locker room talk” that rationalizes men’s poor behavior in the way they speak about and treat women. This is the type of rape culture most commonly seen on television. The next level is degradation which is when people feel degraded to feeling like they are just a sexual item for others. Degradation includes cat calling, men following women on the street with sexual intentions, and unsolicited sexual pictures. Many people will confuse this with victimization since this type of behavior does not have a “real” punishment. The following level is the removal of autonomy. The person now feels unhuman and extremely unsafe in an environment meant to be safe. The behavior that comes with removal of autonomy is groping and grabbing and threats of rape and assault and battery. They are the smaller, more worrisome physical or verbal signs that usually lead to rape if the victim does not speak up. The final level is explicit violence against a victim. This includes rape, murder molestation, and assault and battery. Nelson would never know what could’ve been, since Jane experienced a murder molestation years before Nelson’s birth. Back then, Jane’s murder was the main problem in the media which was very important, but her rape was only mentioned