Two Authors in Court: Alexander Pope and J.D. Salinger

Abstract: In Pope v. Curll (1741) and Salinger v. Random House (1987) two celebrated authors go to court over matters related to the publication of personal letters.  Separated by two and a half centuries of legal and cultural development, each case provides access to a drama of authorship that plays itself out in the arena of the law.

Professor Rose has had extensive involvement in copyright litigation over thirty years and is one of the world’s leading historians of copyright.  He is currently working on a book for Harvard University Press that focuses on six copyright cases spread over 250 years. During his time in Oxford, Professor Rose will meet with students and faculty, participate in workshops and deliver three public lectures.