An International Guide to Law and Literature Studies
 Christine Alice Corcos
 (Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
 2002 William S. Hein & Co.
  ISBN: 1575881160

Everything you want to know about law & literature.

Sr. Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Professor Christine Corcos' An International Guide to Law and Literature is a superb & comprehensive resource for any person interested in the growing realm of Law & Literature studies. For the past two decades or so, more prominence & importance have been given to law & popular culture--with the growing popularity of legal thrillers of the like of John Grisham & Scott Turow, legal-themed movies like A Few Good Men & And Justice for All as well as the television serials like Ally McBeal & The Practice. Now various Law Schools have included in their syllabi Law and Popular Culture as a course for study.

It is in this background that the volume under review should be perceived. The contribution of law & legal themes to fiction is immense. Even from the days of William Shakespeare & Charles Dickens, stories & dramas portraying legal themes & brilliant lawyers have enjoyed great popularity. Who can forget the tales of King Solomon The Just; or Shakespeare's brilliant Portia in The Merchant of Venice. For that matter, authors like Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins have also combined in their masterpieces, law & literature to wonderful heights.

Why have law & legal themes become a favorite of many a writer? Again, why are so many lawyers dabbling in fiction? From Henry Fielding's The Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great(1743) to John Grisham's The King of Torts (2003) law has become the favorite tool for many an author. The author identifies many a work in this realm from different languages, be it English, French, German or Hindi. Comprehensively global in character, An International Guide to Law and Literature Studies, is truly the starting point for researchers in the area of law & literature.

An International Guide for Law and Literature is a classic bibliography in the truest sense of the term. Running to 1263 pages in two volumes, the author painstakingly details all works done in the realm of Law and Literature Studies across the seven continents. In the author's words: “The Guide includes...classic works such as Benjamin Cardozo's seminal essay on the nature of law as it is presented in literary works to “popular culture” studies in mystery and detective fiction.”

Meticulously divided into Chapters & sub-chapters highlighting the various facets of law & literature -- by history, by country & by culture--Corcos delves into books written by acknowledged masters from Richard Posner (Law And Literature: A Misunderstood Relation) to Jon L. Breen (Novel Verdicts)--& also lists various articles from wide-ranging journals from that of the now defunct Green Bag to the famous Yale Law Journal.

A fine blend of a general overview & an in-depth analysis of the different facets of law & literature is the highlight of the work. Both the connoisseur of law & literature studies & the lay reader will find the book useful--but for the lawyer, the lawyer-author & the student of law & popular culture--it's a must-have possession & a wonderful reference read.

Do catch my great Interview with Professor Corcos.
(04/20/03)

Narayan
2003©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org