Lex Populi: The Jurisprudence of Popular Culture - Paperback

by William P. MacNeil (Author)

This is a book about jurisprudence--or legal philosophy. The legal philosophical texts under consideration are--to say the least--unorthodox. Tolkien, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Legally Blonde, and others are referenced as instances of what the author calls lex populi--"pop law". Here, however, issues of legal philosophy are heavily coded, for few of these pop cultural texts announce themselves as expressly legal. Lex Populi reads these texts "jurisprudentially", with an eye to their hidden legal philosophical meanings, enabling connections such as: Tolkien's Ring as Kelsen's grundnorm; vampire slaying as legal language's semiosis; and Hogwarts as substantively unjust. Lex Populi attempts not only a jurisprudential reading of popular culture, but also a popular rereading of jurisprudence, removing it from the legal experts in order to restore it to the public at large: a lex populi by and for the people.

Front Jacket

This is a book about jurisprudence--or legal philosophy. The legal philosophical texts under consideration are--to say the least--unorthodox. Tolkien, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Million Dollar Baby, and other cultural products are all referenced as exemplary instances of what the author calls lex populi--"people's" or "pop law." There, more than anywhere else, will one find the leading issues of legal philosophy. These issues, however, are heavily coded, for few of these pop cultural texts announce themselves as expressly legal. Nonetheless, Lex Populi reads these texts "jurisprudentially," that is, with an eye to their hidden legal philosophical meanings, enabling connections such as: Tolkien's Ring as Kelsen's grundnorm; vampire slaying as legal language's semiosis; Hogwarts as substantively unjust; and a seriously injured young woman as termination's rights-bearer. In so doing, Lex Populi attempts not only a jurisprudential reading of popular culture, but a popular rereading of jurisprudence, removing it from the legal experts in order to restore it to the public at large: a lex populi by and for the people.

Back Jacket

MacNeil's work is essential to understanding the relationship between jurisprudence and popular culture. Lex Populi offers a rich web of allusions to cultural theory and legal scholarshi, and witty readings of works of popular culture."--Desmond Manderson, McGill University
"With wit and charm, William MacNeil has fashioned a compelling, insightful, and subtle account of law's relationship to popular culture. This scholarly and stylish work challenges the conventional separation of law from its popular representations, and traces their complex interconnection as we move from the age of law in the books to the era of law in" and as" the image."--Alison Young, University of Melbourne

Author Biography

William P. MacNeil is Associate Professor of Law at Griffith University.