Modernism and the Law

Modernism and the Law is an intriguing, yet short book, not at all what I expected—considering it is a book focused on the law. Robert Spoo takes us on a journey to understand modernist literature, its authors, how they were affected by the law and how it changed their writing. Spoo even discusses how the law was changed to accommodate writers at times.

The first and last chapters focus on two major figures Oscar Wilde and Ezra Pound; the law of their time impacted both writers. The chapters explore different categories such as censorship, obscenities, and copyright. In my opinion, the book is more literary studies than law studies, considering the focus on writing and publishing.

Professor Spoo makes this an engaging work, and does not get bogged down with citations and the minutiae that many books on law do; he keeps it moving and focuses on the authors while examining how the law has changed during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.