Rehumanizing Law: A Theory of Law and Democracy
Apr 2011 · University of Toronto Press
Ebook
240
Pages
About this ebook
In a popular sense, 'law' connotes the rules of a society, as well as the institutions that make and enforce those rules. Although laws are created and interpreted in legislatures and courtrooms by individuals with very specialized knowledge, the practice and making of law is closely tied to other systems of knowledge. To emphasize this often downplayed connection, Rehumanizing Law examines the law in relation to narrative, a fundamental mode of human expression.
Randy D. Gordon illustrates the bridge between narrative and law by considering whether literature can prompt legislation. Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Gordon shows that literary works can figure in important regulatory measures. Discussing the rule of law in relation to democracy, he reads Melville's Billy Budd and analyzes the O.J. Simpson and Rodney King cases.
This highly original and creative study reconnects the law to its narrative roots by showing how and why stories become laws.
About the author
Randy D. Gordon is an adjunct professor in the Dedman School of Law and a lecturer in English at Southern Methodist University. He is a partner in the Complex Litigation Group of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP.
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