Law & Literature
It would be best if you were familiar with (i.e. closely have read) all our literary works. If you are unfamiliar with any that we will discuss, focus your attention on the following sections. If you do not have copies in your personal library, you should consider purchasing them. Meantime, copies are on reserve in the AGL for in-library use.
In the order we will be considering them—
Before the Law (Kafka) and Telling Tales (Denning). Photocopied handouts will be supplied during first class session. If you wish to access them before we meet: Kafka’s work can be found in the collection translated by Willa and Edwin Muir, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces (Schocken, 1948/1961), at p.148; Denning’s essay can be found in the Harvard Business Review (82:5, May 2004) at p.122.
Passages from Genesis and Exodus. Use and bring to class any good study Bible providing any modern substantive translation (not paraphrase) of the original texts (e.g. NRSV, NKJV, NIV, or NASB). Ask if uncertain about appropriateness of alternative versions.
Merchant of Venice. Act IV.1. In the Great Books set, Vol. 26, at 425-430.
Wisconsin v. Yoder. Read entire case; download and print for reference.
Iliad. Book XXIV. In the Great Books set, Vol. 4, at 171-179.
Hamlet. Act V.1-2. In the Great Books set, Vol. 27, at 64-72.
The Trial. Chapter 8. In the Muirs’ Franklin Library edition, at 203-239.
Bleak House. Chapters 1-2 and 39-40. In the Literary Guild edition, at 1-10 and 371-389.
Billy Budd. Chapters 20-23. In Stafford’s Wadsworth edition, at 42-54.
The Brothers Karamazov. Book XII.1-14. In Garnett’s Franklin Library edition, at 787-897.
Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Read entire case; download and print for reference.