SOURCE: Rockwood, Bruce L. “Introduction: On Doing Law and Literature.” In Law and Literature Perspectives, edited by Bruce L. Rockwood, pp. 2-38. New York: Peter Lang, 1996.

In the following essay, Rockwood surveys recent critical approaches to the study of law and literature and suggests that the two disciplines together can be helpful in understanding the moral complexities of the postmodern world.

Despite its deep roots in culture and civilization, in the last decade of the twentieth century law and literature is still a relatively new and emerging field of study.¹ It is a distinct discipline, and a true “interdiscipline,” involving fundamental issues from the humanities,² the social sciences, and even the natural sciences.³ It is full of ferment and vitality, whether in writing,⁴ scholarly debate,⁵ or the classroom.⁶ There are many questions to ask within a law and literature framework, many texts to examine, and few clearly right...