The Pitaval Casebook

To present Humanity in its full expression, was Schiller's intent in rewriting and adapting, in the form of a novel or a tale, according to the spirit of Enlightenment, these legal cases, taken from the exhaustive volumes of real life cases compiled by Pitaval. In eight remarkable legal cases which portray the human being in all his erring and excesses, we see the author reinterpreting, in the spirit of a human friendly observer, past legal judgements which call upon the use of newly discovered sociological field, as well as new legal principles, in order to reconcile Humanity with legality. The stated aim was then, to educate the citizen into making enlightened judgment about crimes and criminals, to allow him to behave as human and responsible judge of his fellows in society. The Brinvillier case The sad destiny of Jacob LeBrun The Guerre case A commercial contract with God The Gange case The LaPivardière case The odd couple A corrupt state employee

F. Schiller is a major figure of Enlightenment, who influenced many other philosophers, writers and statesmen and historians with his insightful rendition of such topics as the State, History, Religion, the Sublime. but also Love and Nature. In eight remarkable legal cases which portray the human being in all his errings and excesses, Schiller reinterprets in the spirit of a human friendly observer, past legal judgments which call upon the use of newly discovered field, such as psychology, as well as new principles which were used to draft laws, in order to reconcile humanity with legality.