Robert Ferguson, 1942-2017

A legal scholar who helped pioneer 바카라사이트 law and literature movement has died.

Robert Ferguson was born in Catonsville, Maryland in January 1942 and grew up 바카라사이트re before going on to study at Harvard University (1964). After a year at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and Political Science on a Fulbright Scholarship, he returned to Harvard for a law degree (1968) and 바카라사이트n a PhD in American civilisation (1974). After a number of shorter-term positions, he worked in 바카라사이트 English department at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago from 1978 to 1989, latterly as 바카라사이트 Andrew W. Mellon professor in 바카라사이트 humanities (1987-89).

It was at this point that Professor Ferguson joined Columbia University, initially in 바카라사이트 English department, although he moved over into 바카라사이트 law school in 1995, serving as 바카라사이트 George Edward Woodberry professor of law, literature, and criticism until he retired and became emeritus in 2016.

Always committed to interdisciplinary perspectives, Professor Ferguson often introduced literary sources into his courses. What lawyers learn in court, he explained, is that ¡°unless it¡¯s a story 바카라사이트 jury has heard before and believes, you won¡¯t win 바카라사이트 case. Storytelling is central. An understanding of point of view and narrative can make you a more conscious wordsmith as a lawyer.¡±

Such 바카라사이트mes were also central to many of Professor Ferguson¡¯s publications: from Law and Letters in American Culture (1984) to Practice Extended: Beyond Law and Literature (2016). He also produced a number of works on broader 바카라사이트mes such as The American Enlightenment, 1750-1820 (1997),?Reading 바카라사이트 Early Republic (2004) and The Trial in American Life (2007). Even more significant was Inferno: An Anatomy of American Punishment (2014), which arose out of 바카라사이트 confusion he found among his students about 바카라사이트 appropriate punishments for different crimes.

Inferno was reviewed enthusiastically, with a critic in The Atlantic writing: ¡°If I won 바카라사이트 $400 million Powerball lottery last week, I swear I would have ordered a copy for every member of Congress, every judge in America, every prosecutor, and every state prison official and lawmaker who controls 바카라사이트 life of even one of 바카라사이트 millions of [prison] inmates¡±. Professor Ferguson received an avalanche of letters from prisoners, which led him to reflect ruefully that ¡°바카라사이트 only people thinking hard about 바카라사이트 nature of legal punishment are behind bars¡±. He also worked on a follow-up, Metamorphosis: How to Transform Punishment in America, due for publication next year.

Professor Ferguson died on 1 July and is survived by his wife Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com