Lex Populi: The Jurisprudence of Popular Culture

The Cultural Lives of Law

by William MacNeil

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 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 a lex populi by and for the people.

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readings of popular culture through jurisprudence, or vice versa. Smart, insightful readings, often unexpected; sometimes I disagreed with his reasoning and/or his readings, but he manages to be entertaining and thoughtful throughout.