28 Jun LAW AND CORRUPTION
law and corruption
Please write a splendid essay that engages with the following prompts.
1. What do the literary texts that we have read have to say about the law and corruption? Do they depict a world where the law is just and fairly enforced? Does it seem like either (or both) of these books is attempting to critique or overturn the law? Or do these books work to confirm that law in their fictional account of law-breakers. Remember, you can talk about any kind of law here—criminal, religious, matrimonial, etc.
2. The Beggars Opera consistently points out the corruption in eighteenth century English society by linking the misdeeds of lowlifes and criminals with the actions of the great and powerful. Consider Gays critique in light of the reality of crime and punishment that is to be seen in the Old Baily archives (and/or Moores book). How does money and power affect justice in the period?
Please be sure that you do the following:
Develop an argument for a specific thesis by:
a. engaging with the literary criticism you have read/researched; or
b. drawing on cases and or statistics you have researched in the Old Bailey Database; or
c. using a combination of the two.
Please use the criticism and the Old Bailey or both, but you cannot write an essay that doesnt bring in some sort of outside evidence or ideas. Also, include a brief comparison with Jonathan wild. Information on Wild can be found on the Old Bailey website.
References to be use: Gays critique, John Gay, The Beggars Opera (Penguin, 1987) ISBN: 978-0140432206, and the Old Bailey database.
Optional:
Now, if you think you want to use evidence from the primary sources in the Old Bailey archive, I strongly urge you to do the following:
o TEST your assumptions. One case does not a trend make. Before you make any claims about what the archive can tell us about crime and 18c society, do much more searching. Find at least three cases to talk about, and try to develop some statistics about the trend you are interested in.
o CHECK your opinions against the histories of 18c crime that have been written by experts. For this, see the suggested bibliography I am listing below.
Suggested for Further Reading:
Beattie, J. M. Crime and the Courts of England: 1660-1800 (CUNY+)
Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in England, 1750-1900. Third Edition. London: Longman, 2005.
This book is now on reserve at the JJ library!
Gaskill, M., “Reporting Murder: Fiction in the Archives of Early Modern England”, Social History 23 (1998), 1-30
Innes, Joanna and John Styles. “The Crime Wave: Recent Writings on Crime and Criminal Justice in Eighteenth-Century England.” The Journal of British Studies 25:4 (Oct., 1986), 380-435.
MUST review Historical Background: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Crime.jsp
Additional Questions:
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