Rumpole and His Rivals: Comic Legal Fiction

by Peter Robson

Overview

Rumpole and His Rivals examines comic legal fiction and the role it plays in the public's understanding of the legal system. The work focuses on the writings of eight lawyer authors over the past century and traces the different approaches taken in this form of comedic literature. Over sixty comic legal fiction books have been published in Britain between 1924 and 2024, with the desire of their authors not only to entertain, but to inform, educate, and create a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand how and why the rule of law and legal profession have garnered the current reputation and level of confidence which they have.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683934141
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/12/2025
Series:	The Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Series in Law, Culture, and the Humanities
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Peter Robson is Professor of Law at Strathclyde University, Scotland.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Interwar Years: The Faux Legal Judgment
Chapter 2: Henry Cecil
Chapter 3: Hastings Draper and Julian Prescot
Chapter 4: John Mortimer: The Rumpole Years, 1975 – 2007
Chapter 5: Tim Kevin, David Osborne, and Peter Murphy

Editorial Reviews

Accessible, insightful, and thought-provoking, Rumpole and His Rivals: Comic Legal Fiction is an immensely enjoyable and informative book exploring the tradition of comic legal fiction. An essential and, importantly, entertaining read for anyone interested in the portrayal of lawyers in fictional literature and the role of law in society. Highly recommended.” —Richard Collier, Newcastle University

“In this volume, Peter Robson encourages the reader to take a serious look at some 'legal light literature'. While highlighting some of the more amusing aspects of legal life, the authors, all lawyers, also draw attention to some of the dilemmas and ethical problems commonly faced by members of the legal professions and judges today. Equally, they do not shy away from addressing the need to reform and improve aspects of the criminal justice system. Henry Cecil, author of the successful Brothers in Law series (televised in 1961, starring Richard Briers) includes in several of his novels trenchant remarks on the degrading nature of prison life, and criticises the continuing reluctance of successive governments to do anything to improve the situation.
In shining a light on these works, now often neglected, Peter Robson succeeds in demonstrating that while 'light' in literary terms, these works nevertheless have something serious to say about the English legal system. But, in keeping with the 'light' nature of the legal literature it examines, this book makes for an interesting and often entertaining read.” —Fiona Cownie, Keele University

“Peter Robson's insightful book takes us on a much needed journey through English comic legal fiction. Thanks to TV and radio exposure, many of us are familiar with the exploits of John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey. But Robson meticulously uncovers a much longer and far more extensive history of the comic legal novel in England, revealing a wealth of other English lawyer authors whose work over the past 100 years has not only provided entertaining tales of the legal profession but also informed and educated the lay reader about the world of court practice.” —Julia Knight, University of Sunderland

From the Publisher

In this volume, Peter Robson encourages the reader to take a serious look at some ‘legal light literature’. While highlighting some of the more amusing aspects of legal life, the authors, all lawyers, also draw attention to some of the dilemmas and ethical problems commonly faced by members of the legal professions and judges today. Equally, they do not shy away from addressing the need to reform and improve aspects of the criminal justice system. Henry Cecil, author of the successful Brothers in Law series (televised in 1961, starring Richard Briers) includes in several of his novels trenchant remarks on the degrading nature of prison life, and criticises the continuing reluctance of successive governments to do anything to improve the situation.
In shining a light on these works, now often neglected, Peter Robson succeeds in demonstrating that while ‘light’ in literary terms, these works nevertheless have something serious to say about the English legal system. But, in keeping with the ‘light’ nature of the legal literature it examines, this book makes for an interesting and often entertaining read.

Fiona Cownie

Accessible, insightful, and thought-provoking, Rumpole and His Rivals: Comic Legal Fiction is an immensely enjoyable and informative book exploring the tradition of comic legal fiction. An essential and, importantly, entertaining read for anyone interested in the portrayal of lawyers in fictional literature and the role of law in society. Highly recommended.

Richard Collier

Peter Robson’s insightful book takes us on a much needed journey through English comic legal fiction. Thanks to TV and radio exposure, many of us are familiar with the exploits of John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey. But Robson meticulously uncovers a much longer and far more extensive history of the comic legal novel in England, revealing a wealth of other English lawyer authors whose work over the past 100 years has not only provided entertaining tales of the legal profession but also informed and educated the lay reader about the world of court practice.

Julia Knight