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The Oneiric imagination and the dream of law
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Raffield, Paul (2011) The Oneiric imagination and the dream of law. Law and Humanities, 5 (1). pp. 241-249. doi:10.5235/175214811796219781 ISSN 1752-1483.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5235/175214811796219781
Abstract
It is the purpose of this paper to examine the association between law and literature through the particular lens of Shakespearean drama. In so doing, the intention is not to analyse 'the law' in Shakespeare's plays; rather, it is to consider the capacity of the image to capture and manipulate the imagination of the subject of law. My conclusions are related to the dramatic and poetic image, but they apply equally to the imaginary quality of all literature and to the shared imperative of law and literature—narrative. It is in dreams that the subject's reception and interpretation of the image manifests itself without constraint. In the latter half of the paper I concentrate on the transformative power of dreams, conscious throughout of the metamorphic capacity of literature to lend plasticity to the inherent intractability of law. With autobiographical reference to my career as an actor, and especially to a particular performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Syria, I consider the political power of the oneiric imagination, and the capacity through dreaming to break the bonds of servitude.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | K Law [Moys] > KA Jurisprudence P Language and Literature > PR English literature |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Law | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Law and the humanities, Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Law | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Law and Humanities | ||||
Publisher: | Hart Publishing Ltd. | ||||
ISSN: | 1752-1483 | ||||
Official Date: | June 2011 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 5 | ||||
Number: | 1 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 9 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 241-249 | ||||
DOI: | 10.5235/175214811796219781 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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