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The absent lawyer: Deconstrunctions of law in twentieh-century literature. A contribution to the discussion about law and literature
https://doi.org/10.48269/2451-0807-sp-2025-1-17
Abstract
This article examines the figure of the lawyer in literature, exploring how law and its representatives function within literary narratives. It argues that law is not merely a plot motif but a structural force that organizes the presented reality. The analysis encompasses both traditional portrayals of lawyers as guardians of norms and interpreters of law, as well as their deconstructions, in which law becomes a mechanism of oppression, chaos, or an impenetrable bureaucratic labyrinth. The study is based on the interpretation of selected works of dystopian literature (1984 by George Orwell, A Clockwork Orange and 1985 by Anthony Burgess), allegorical literature (Lord of the Flies by William Golding), and existentialist fiction (The Trial, The Castle by Franz Kafka). In each of these visions, lawyers cease to function as active participants in the legal system, while law itself loses its role as an instrument of justice. This analysis demonstrates that literature not only portrays law but also challenges and tests.
Keywords:
lawyer in literature , law and literature , deconstruction of law , bureaucracy , legal narrativeDownload files
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Vol. 36 No. 1 (2025)
Published: 2025-06-26
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.