Characterization of legal reasoning in "The Stranger" by A. Camus: an analytical proposal from the law and literature movement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21119/anamps.10.2.e1199Keywords:
"O estrangeiro", Albert Camus, movimento direito e literatura, racionalidade jurídica, iconografia legal-literáriaAbstract
This article aims to findings the results of an exploratory research on the categorization of the legal-literary archetype of the protagonist Meursault from Albert Camus' The Stranger, with the aim of examining Meursault’s legal rationality, particularly his conception of law. To achieve this, we applied Jeffrey Miller's (2013) suggestions for constructing comparative narrative models as our theoretical-methodological framework. We developed an individual narrative framework for Meursault, based on the following categories: (i) worldview; (ii) ideological foundation; (iii) ideal final destiny; (iv) personal concept of legal imputation; and (v) concept/idea of justice. Subsequently, we formulated a legal-literary iconography that synthesizes Meursault’s archetype. The results provide a narrative characterization specific to the Law and Literature movement as applied to Meursault. This characterization preliminarily elucidates Meursault 's conception of law and justice, thereby enabling a legal discussion on the identified legal reasoning in light of General Theory of Law and Western Legal Philosophy. Finally, our application of Miller's theoretical-methodological framework offers empirical support to literary analysis, suggesting new avenues for qualitative research within the intersection of Law and Literature.
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