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Law in the Plays of Elmer Rice

By Christine Corcos

Randolph Jonakait, New York Law School, has published "Law in the Plays of Elmer Rice," at 19 Law and Literature 401 (2007). Here is the abstract.

While novels, short stories, television shows, movies, and classic dramas are often analyzed for insights into the law, modern plays are seldom similarly examined. The plays of Elmer Rice, however, should be discussed by those interested in our legal system. Rice, although now largely forgotten, was a leading playwright of the last century. He was a law school graduate, and his work often incorporated legal themes. His plays provide provocative commentaries about the law and raise dilemmas about justice and ethics that resonate today. This essay explores the interplay between plays and the law by examining the life and work of Elmer Rice.

Download the paper from SSRN here.

Here's more on Rice: a webpage devoted to him.

From my bibliography An International Guide to Law and Literature:

Allison, James D., A Study of Some Concepts of Social Justice in the Published Plays of Elmer Rice (Dissertation, 1953).
Berhringer, Fred Dayton, The Political Theatre of Elmer Rice, 1930-1943 (Dissertation, 1980).
Brown, Jared Allen, The Theatrical Development of Social Themes in Selected Plays by Elmer Rice (Dissertation, 1967).
Dorsey, John T., The Courtroom Scene in Four Plays of Elmer Rice, 1 Journal of the College of International Relations (Japan) 221 (Feb. 1980).
Durham, Frank, Elmer Rice (1970).
Evans, Timothy Joe, Elmer Rice and the Letter of the Law (Master's thesis, 1974).
Farris, Hudell McCelvey, Elmer Rice: Law and Justice (Master's thesis, 1973).
Hogan, Robert Goode, The Independence of Elmer Rice (1965).
Napieralski, Edmund Anthony, Elmer Rice: A Critical Evaluationa of His Full-Length Published Plays (Dissertation, 1967).
Palmieri, Anthony F. R., Elmer Rice, a Playwright's Vision of America (Dissertation, 1974).
Palmieri, Anthony F. R., Elmer Rice (1980).
Usigli, Rodolfo, Conversaciones y encuentros (1974). Includes an interview with Elmer Rice.
Weaver, Richard Alden, The Dramaturgy of Elmer Rice (Dissertation, 1973).

Full post as published by Law & Humanities Blog on December 06, 2007 (boomark / email).