Narratives, disinformation and democracy: what is the role of literature?

Abstract

Amidst the narrative crisis exacerbated by misinformation, this article analyzes the potential of literary culture as a hermeneutic resource capable of strengthening law and democratic life. Although narratives are present in the arts, in everyday life, and in law, we live in a time when their value is under threat. The research, situated in the legal field, uses a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach to understand that language is central to human understanding. The procedure is based on the Law and Literature movement, which allows exploring the intersection between these fields, in addition to the use of bibliographic and documentary techniques. The development begins with an explanation of the role of narratives, focusing on law as a field of narrative expression. The study discusses the narrative crisis and its relationship to the challenges of interpretation. Disinformation is then analyzed as one of the main factors in this crisis. Finally, the study suggests that literature, by stimulating critical thinking and interpretative sensitivity, can help mitigate the effects of disinformation in the legal and social environment. It concludes that exposure to great formative narratives broadens one's worldview and strengthens one's ability to face today's narrative challenges.