Literature and Law

There are a number of books in literature that makes use of law as a central point of discussion. Here are some books that deals with law's many faces. All these novels are available online. 

1. Crime and Punishment - greatest novel about law and human life.
2. Hard Times - shows the 19th C. society with all its faults and follies.
3. Billy Budd - one of the most complex novels about crime and punishment and moral responsibility. 
4. To Kill a Mockingbird - great American novel about social and legal justice.
5. The Sea-Wolf - a great American novel about lawlessness and morality. 
6. Bartleby, the Scrivener - short novella about lawyers who work in the Wall Street.
7. The Trial - Kafka's terrifying story of totalitarian misuse of Law and existential crisis. 
8. The Farm - popular John Grisham novel about the world of Lawyers.
9. Anatomy of a Murder - Robert Traver's classic courtroom thriller. 

There are two more books that discuss Law's connection with Literature and these two are also available online. (1) Law and Literature by Richard A Posner; (2) The Structure of Law and Literature by Jeffrey Miller. The last two books "The Farm" "Anatomy of a Murder" are in the popular fiction tradition. However, both novels are great entertainment if you are fond of the inner workings of firms and courts. If you are unable to find a digital version of the above texts, just let us know. We can send. 

The above notes have been created for use by students who are looking for additional materials to work on apart from voluminous Law Books and Digests. I strongly suggest that the novels should be read and discussed in detail in class. 

Practice Essay Topics

In the past week we discussed "Society as Spectacle" and Baudrillard's Simulacra. After this "Heavy" infiltration, we are now going to write a couple of essays

1. We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do simply for the pleasure of it. (400-450 words). 
2. Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations? (1000 -1200 words).

It is important to acknowledge that WRITING requires us to think and meditate the ideas that we intend to bring forward for public display. Automated writing is to be completely avoided at all costs. Only nuanced writing is acceptable. Nuanced writing include following elements:

Wit - Method in Madness - Simplicity