Law and Literature

Author: Su Li
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This book explores the dimension of law in Chinese classical literature. Although Su Li repeatedly emphasizes that his interpretation of the classics is not the traditional "allegory" or implication or allusion, the issues he addresses are indeed current and future, and his analysis often involves many personal emotions and mere imagination detached from the text. It is inevitable that some parts lack rigor, and it is not surprising that he has received various criticisms. However, it must be admitted that the methods he adopts and the conclusions he draws are highly enlightening to us. (Luo Chunwei) – China Reading News This book attempts to expand a new field in contemporary Chinese legal theory research – law and literature. I will mainly use traditional Chinese dramas as material to analyze some theoretical issues related to law. Although the material used is literary and historical, and thus local, my fundamental concern is current, realistic, and therefore general. This concern is manifested in two aspects: First, I attempt to elucidate, from a theoretical logical perspective rather than the traditional "allegory" or implication or allusion, the relevance of these issues to the construction of Chinese law and order today; second, in this effort, I hope to create the possibility of Chinese law and literature studies as a branch of legal theory research, and more generally – consistent with my previous efforts – to create the possibility of thinking about our theoretical problems in China that have general significance. The former focuses on legal institutions, while the latter focuses on legal theory.