Naked ambitions and masked violence: the critical importance of story for law

Abstract

The article contends that storytelling is not merely a supplementary aspect of law but integral to its very essence. By examining popular culture and literary works like Frank Herbert’s Dune, the article illustrates how storytelling reveals and critiques the underlying violence and ambitions within legal systems. Structured in three acts, the article first examines legal scholars’ use of storytelling to unmask violence, then juxtaposes literary and legal critiques, and ends by demonstrating law as a unique form of storytelling, essential for understanding and critiquing legal practices.