Writing and Law in Late Imperial China Crime, Conflict, and Judgment

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Carlitz, Katherine, author.

Hegel, Robert E., 1943- author.

Series:

Asian law series ; Number 18.

Asian Law Series ; Number 18

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Legal stories, Chinese.

Legal composition.

Law in literature.

Law and literature.

Law.

China.

Genre:

History

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (361 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Seattle, [Washington] ; London, [England] : University of Washington Press, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this fascinating, multidisciplinary volume, scholars of Chinese history, law, literature, and religions explore the intersections of legal practice with writing in many different social contexts. They consider the overlapping concerns of legal culture and the arts of crafting persuasive texts in a range of documents including crime reports, legislation, novels, prayers, and law suits. Their focus is the late Ming and Qing periods (c. 1550-1911); their documents range from plaints filed at the local level by commoners, through various texts produced by the well-to-do, to the legal opinions penned by China's emperors.Writing and Law in Late Imperial China explores works of crime-case fiction, judicial handbooks for magistrates and legal secretaries, popular attitudes toward clergy and merchants as reflected in legal plaints, and the belief in a parallel, otherworldly judicial system that supports earthly justice.

Contents:

Part I. Rhetoric and persuasion

Part II. Legal discourse and the power of the state

Part III. Literature and legal procedure

Part IV. Restrospective

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780295997544

0295997540

OCLC:

930704009