The Mirror of Justice : Literary Reflections of Legal Crises - Theodore Ziolkowski

The Mirror of Justice

Literary Reflections of Legal Crises

By: Theodore Ziolkowski

Paperback | 3 June 2003

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $94.99

$64.80

32%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $16.20 with

 or 

Aims to ship in 5 to 10 business days

When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate

This book studies major works of literature from classical antiquity to the present that reflect crises in the evolution of Western law: the move from a prelegal to a legal society in The Eumenides, the Christianization of Germanic law in Njal's Saga, the disenchantment with medieval customary law in Reynard the Fox, the reception of Roman law in a variety of Renaissance texts, the conflict between law and equity in Antigone and The Merchant of Venice, the eighteenth-century codification controversy in the works of Kleist, the modern debate between "pure" and "free" law in Kafka's The Trial and other fin-de-siecle works, and the effects of totalitarianism, the theory of universal guilt, and anarchism in the twentieth century.


Using principles from the anthropological theory of legal evolution, the book locates the works in their legal contexts and traces through them the gradual dissociation over the centuries of law and morality. It thereby associates and illuminates these masterpieces from an original point of view and contributes a new dimension to the study of literature and law.


In contrast to prevailing adherents of Law-and-Literature, this book professes Literature-and-Law, in which the emphasis is historical rather than theoretical, substantive rather than rhetorical, and literary rather than legal. Instead of adducing the literary work to illustrate debates about modern law, this book consults the history of law as an essential aid to the understanding of the literary text and its conflicts.

Industry Reviews
Winner of the 1998 Christian Gauss Award, Phi Beta Kappa "An incisive and useful study... Theodore Ziolkowski has brought his broad interdisciplinary knowledge and discerning critical skills to [this] wide-ranging study."--Robert Hauptman, World Literature Today "A sweeping and intriguing handbook of law, literature, and history."--Robert F. Barsky, Literary Research/Recherche Litteraire "Informed and original... This challenging and engaging study has much to offer scholars, teachers, and students."--Choice

More in Roman Law

The Neverending Empire : The Infinite Impact of Ancient Rome - Aldo Cazullo
The Digest of Justinian, Volume 1 - Alan Watson

RRP $63.80

$60.75

Cause and Consideration : Exploring the Foundations of Contract Law - Bruno Rodríguez-Rosado
Principle and Pragmatism in Roman Law - Benjamin Spagnolo

RRP $180.00

$132.25

27%
OFF
Essays in Law and History for David Ibbetson : Querella - Joe  Sampson
Borkowski's Textbook on Roman Law : 6th edition - Paul J. du Plessis

RRP $101.95

$87.35

14%
OFF
A New Outline of the Roman Civil Trial - Ernest Metzger
Women and Law in Late Antiquity - Antti Arjava

RRP $203.00

$122.25

40%
OFF
Family and Familia in Roman Law and Life - Jane F. Gardner

RRP $501.00

$295.50

41%
OFF
A Theory of the Trial - Robert P. Burns

RRP $72.99

$51.75

29%
OFF