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Introduction to Critical Legal Theory
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Routledge-Cavendish (2004-07-23)
ISBN: 1859419283
EAN: 9781859419281
Dewy Decimal #: 340.1
Paperback: 224 pages
Edition: 2
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Customer Reviews
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An outstanding work of synthesis
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-05-29
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I cannot for the life of me understand the negativity of the previous reviewer. First of all, the book does not purport to be an introduction to the English legal system or anything of the sort; it is an introduction to the various manifestations of critical legal thought from Aristotle to CLS and beyond. And in this objective, it succeeds admirably. The discussions of various thinkers and schools of thought are commendably lucid, penetrating and erudite. For instance, Ward is one of the few writers who subjects Locke to anything like a critical analysis; other commentators simply regurgitate the same tired old cliches once too often.
As someone who is by no means enamoured of Derrida and his ilk, I still found Ward's discussion of deconstructionism to be surprisingly absorbing; and that really is a remarkable achievement in itself.
On the whole, I found this book to be an outstanding work of scholarship. As readers of the author's "Critical Introduction To EU Law" will attest, Ward possesses an acute critical intelligence which manifests itself on every page. Such work is the very antithesis of the Nutshells "law by bullet point" approach which simply invites students to cram their empty heads full of facts which they will then have to regurgitate come exam time. Law books should seek, wherever possible, to challenge students and to encourage them to expand their minds and think critically. In this endeavour, Ward's magnum opus is of inestimable value.
It's a sad indictment of the UK's education system that someone like the previous reviewer should be in a position to teach students. One can only presume that he would prefer to use text messages and "Big Brother" as pedagogical tools. Law students need to be challenged and inspired, and this is precisely what this book achieves. Anyone too thick to appreciate this wonderful work should stick to "Nutshells" instead.
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Good for reference, but not suitable as an introduction
Rating  (2)
Date: 2006-08-16
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The blurb describes this as "an accessible introduction to the study of law and legal theory", but I think this is misleading. I certainly would not recommend it to my first-year students. It does not cover the basics that would usually be expected of an introduction to law (e.g. how the legal system works, how to read and research case law, etc.) I suspect, however, that this description may have been imposed on the author by the publisher. For this purpose, Glanville Williams' classic is still a much better choice, or the more recent volume by Elliott and Quinn.
As an introduction to legal theory, I feel it fails the accessibility test on a number of counts. Despite occasional flashes of welcome humour, the writing style for the most part suggests an assumed reader who is already an accomplished legal academic, and I suspect the content would be extremely difficult to understand for anyone without a solid grounding in Western philosophy. I have studied philosophy at university level and still found it too difficult to be of much benefit; in the areas I felt most qualified to judge (medieval philosophy and Kantianism), it skated over key concepts and was misleading at times, possibly due to insufficient familiarity with the source language of some of the texts discussed. It seemed better on deconstructionism, but I am less qualified to judge this. I will keep it on hand for reference, and in that role I think it will be useful, but it is not a book for beginners and not one to attempt to read straight through.
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Retail Price: £22.95
Amazon.com's Price:£16.68
That's 27% Off!
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