Judge Not

André Gide's lifelong fascination with the conventions of society led naturally to a strong interest in France's judicial system. At the age of sixty Gide published "Judge Not", a collection of writings detailing his own experiences with the law as well as his thoughts on truth, justice, and judgment. Gide's obsession with crime and punishment was not just a morbid hobby; rather, it struck at the heart of his themes as a writer. In the literary tradition of Dostoyevsky and Conrad, Gide frequently used criminals as central characters to explore human nature and the individual's place in society. In the first essay, "A Memoir of the Assize Court", Gide writes about his experience as a juror in several trials, including that of an arsonist (Gide actively sought jury duty, so great was his interest in legal matters). In "The Redureau Case" and "The Confined Woman of Poitiers" Gide analyzes two famous crimes of his day, an inexplicable slaughter by Marcel Redureau, a docile fifteen-year-old vineyard laborer who violently murdered his employer's family, and the respected Monnier family's confinement of their daughter, Blanche. Both cases fascinated Gide - elements of each would appear in his later fiction - and he looks closely at the facts of each as they came out in court. In addition, in "News Items", Gide analyzes the way newspapers present crime narratives, drawing from the hundreds of press clippings he collected throughout his life.