Synopses & Reviews
In recent years, the two-way traffic between law and popular culture has exploded, from the media blitzes surrounding high-profile trials and the flood of television judges ruling on real-life conflicts to the use of a feature film as a closing argument within the courtroom. What becomes of law when it takes the same paths as advertising and public relations? What becomes of law when it turns into spectacle? These are fateful questions for law in an age of images, and Richard K. Sherwin tackles them with insight and vigor.
Synopsis
The past few decades have seen the legal system entering American popular culture like never before, from the media blitzes surrounding high-profile trials to the countless television programs in which judges rule on everyday disputes. What, if anything, does this mean for the legal system itself? According to Richard K. Sherwin, it is a dangerous development—one that threatens to turn law into spectacle, undermining public confidence as legal style and logic begin to resemble advertising and public relations.
About the Author
Richard K. Sherwin is a professor of law at New York Law School.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Law in the Age of Images
2. Screening Reality: The Vanishing Line between Law and Popular Culture
3. Legal Storytelling: Culture's Tools for Making Meaning
4. The Law of Desire: Cultural History and the Notorious Case
5. The Postmodern Challenge: A Case Study
6. The Jurisprudence of Appearances: Law as Commodity
7. When Law Goes Pop: Strange Forces, Trauma, and Catharsis
8. Law's Need for Enchantment: Perils and Possibilities
9. Conclusion: Redrawing the Line between Belief and Suspicion
Notes
Index