English 186l. Introduction to Law and Literature

Instructor: Stephanie DeGooyer
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30-2:30pm | Location: Sever 208

This course introduces students to interpretative approaches to law and literature. Why might a lawyer or judge want to examine the law from the perspective of literature or use tools of literary analysis to understand a case? What role has literature played in the development of legal rules and principles? Organized around four major legal topics—nationality, personhood, property, and testimony—this course will explore the rhetorical basis of law, the historical roots of equity, similarities between literary and legal interpretation, debates about the use of literature to humanize legal decision-making, and the use of narrative as an alternative paradigm for justice. Additionally, we will address the major academic debates in the “law and literature movement,” which has seen a recent burst of scholarly activity.

Primary texts may include Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, M. NourbSe Philip’s Zong!, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Sophocles’ Antigone, Richard Powers’ The Overstory, Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, and J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace