A Vision of American Law: Judging Law, Literature, and the Stories We Tell - Hardcover

by Barry R. Schaller (Author)

Throughout history, works of literature have helped to shape public discussion of social, legal, and political issues. In this book, Barry R. Schaller draws on examples from American literature in presenting an analysis of the legal aspects of several major problems facing our society. After identifying the key legal relationships in society, the book focuses on problems of violence, loss of authority, diminished faith in the American dream of progress, and the challenges posed by immense social and technological change. The author offers a set of standards to serve as a guide to effective judicial decision making and to assist the public in evaluating the soundness of those decisions.

Author Biography

BARRY R. SCHALLER is a judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court. He was appointed to the Appellate Court in 1992 after eighteen years on the Connecticut trial bench. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School and has been a Visiting Lecuturer at Yale University and a Guggenheim Fellow at the Yale Law School. He regularly teaches courses on law, literature and jurisprudence to state court judges. Judge Schaller is the author of numerous articles on various legal topics including law and the humanities, constitutional law, complex case management, and violence in American society.