A unique book that explores the intersections of law and literature through engaging and entertaining stories, book chapters, poems, plays, and articles along with discussion topics, Literature and the Law is the only available book of its kind. This text covers a comprehensive variety of topics in law and literature utilizing shorter, thought-provoking, less canonical works of fiction from such authors as Herman Melville, Harper Lee, Agatha Christie, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Cynthia Ozick, Albert Camus, and more. This approach welcomes students to develop fresh ideas through exposure to writers and stories primarily new to them. The accessibility and adaptability of this text will make it a new classroom favorite for you and your students: Engaging discussion questions following each story prompt instructors and students, alike, to explore a wide range of topics: professional ethics, justice, the lives of lawyers, the role of lawyers, the legal system, the psychology of lawyering, philosophy, and more An extensive, annotated list of complementary readings at the end of each chapter offers teachers and students a rich and varied choice beyond the selected texts An adaptable nature makes it suitable for a wide variety of teaching schemes and literary tastes. It reinforces the strengths that teachers bring to the subject while filling in background information and offering texts for those areas with which they are less familiar, making it an ideal source for professors to integrate into their current teaching materials

First published in 1996. The first anthology of its kind in this dynamic new field of study, this volume offers students the best of both worlds-theory and literature. Organized around specific themes to facilitate use of the text in a variety of courses, the material is highly accessible to undergraduates and is suitable as well for graduate students and law students. The anthology includes important articles by key figures in the law and literature debate, and presents seven thematically arranged sections that: Survey the various theoretical perspectives that inform the relationship of law and literature Examine the interplay of ethics, law, and justice * Highlight the great scope and variety of the law's contributions to the creation of a world view * Illustrate various legal approaches to punishment * Detail and analyze the law's inherent capacity for the oppression of individuals and groups * Demonstrate that law is grounded in language and storytelling * Show that despite its solemnity, the law has a comic side Each section includes excerpts from poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. The excerpts include writings addressing the law's impact on the "outsider" (women, Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, and homosexuals), as well as writings by lawyers, judges, and law professors, giving the reader an "insider's" view of the legal system. The selections range from Plato to John Barth and Wallace Stevens. At this time of increased interest in the quality of legal writing, this course material illustrates the importance of language, word choice, metaphor, and narrative. It demonstrates the practical application of literary effects, techniques, and devices, and provides valuable insights into law as a vital component of the social fabric. SPECIAL FEATURES All law schools that do not already have one in place are required to institute a course in Law and Literature. This new anthology is the first of its kind, and has been specifically designed to meet the requirements of a Law and Literature course * Selections from judges, lawyers, and professors of law give students an insider's view of the legal system * Chronological coverage-from Plato to such 20th-century writers as John Barth and Wallace Stevens-offers students a broad range of selections that examine the relationship between law, justice, ethics, and literature * Multicultural writings address the law's capacity for the oppression of individuals and groups, including women, Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and homosexuals * Law and punishment-several selections examine this area from various points of view. Suitable for courses in: Law and literature courses in law schools and undergraduate divisions as well as interdisciplinary courses in English literature.

Law and Literature is the only book-length treatment of a widely popular subject that is drawing considerable academic attention. Leading legal scholar Richard Posner believes that courses and scholarship in law and literature provide an attractive alternative to courses and scholarship in jurisprudence (philosophy of law), especially since the study of literature can assist lawyers and judges by sharpening their rhetorical skills. The revised edition features considerable new material, including a consideration of plagiarism as well as discussions of novels that grapple with issues very pertinent today, such as illegal immigration, global warming, bioterrorism, surveillance, artificial reproduction, and virtual reality. Posner also discusses the role of the law in popular literature, movies, and television.

A ground-breaking study of the gap between law and justice, establishing - at last - a truly substantive connection between law and literature.

This collection of essays by twenty-two prominent scholars from literature departments and law schools showcases the vibrancy of recent work in law and literature and highlights its many new directions since the field's heyday in the 1970s and 80s.

This book uses legal thought and legal practice as a lens through which to read some of the important fictions of antebellum America.

A pioneer of the the new law and literature movement narrates its central vision, which he calls poethics: the revival of jurisprudence through literary sources and techniques. He argues that lawyers, like novelists, must use language that is precise, passionate and real, in order to tell their stories clearly and persuasively.