Law & Literature

How does literature embody law, both as a principle of literary construction and as an examination of justice? Can literature represent law persuasively? Can it cure the ills from which law suffers? This precepted course will stress interdisciplinary analysis of literature and law; offer overviews of law and social justice in history and different cultures; examine gender, race, and religion in their relation to law and its depictions; and highlight close reading of rich, complex literary texts. Students pursuing literature-related course study as well as students interested in law school or legal studies will benefit from the course.