Beyond Nomos and Narrative. Unconverted Antinomianism in the Work of Susan Howe

Abstract

Nomos and Narrative (N&N) is often recognized as an originary text in the field of Law and Literature. At the time of its publication in 1983, its configuration of law as merely one form of narrative--one that exists within a normative universe constituted by a multiplicity of narratives-was received by many readers as a powerfully original contribution to legal theory. In the twenty-plus years since then, scholars have continued to cite N&N for its insistence that law cannot be reduced to rules and for its reminder that "preceptual" law must be understood as only one contributor to the governing normativity that in fact constitutes the real universe in which we, as individuals and groups, construct the meanings of our lives.