Collection: Rumpole and the Fascist Beast

Overview

John Mortimer's collection centers on Horace Rumpole, the wry, cigar-smoking barrister who habitually defends those whom polite society prefers to condemn. The title story, and others in the book, pitch Rumpole into trials that expose fissures in public opinion, where simple accusations carry outsized moral freight. The narratives balance the pleasures of a courtroom procedural with satirical observations about British institutions, producing tales that read as both legal puzzle and social commentary.

Scenes move briskly between the chambers of the Old Bailey and the domestic ironies of Rumpole's home life, where his domestic partner, known by her formidable nickname, punctures his vanity with comic precision. Mortimer's voice remains conversational and urbane, guiding the reader through legal manoeuvres while slipping in pointed reflections on justice, hypocrisy, and the limits of public righteousness.

Central Themes

A persistent theme is the defence of unpopular defendants and the conviction that a fair trial must be preserved even when the defendant offends contemporary sensibilities. Mortimer examines how fear, prejudice, and politics can distort legal processes, and how courtroom theatre sometimes substitutes for proof. These stories interrogate the tension between law as an instrument of order and law as a refuge for principles that protect everyone, including the least sympathetic.

Ideological friction also runs through the collection: the specter of reactionary movements and the casual bigotries of ordinary citizens are juxtaposed with professional complacency and institutional self-interest. Rumpole's moral stubbornness, his willingness to stand against prevailing opinion for the sake of legal integrity, serves as both a comedic engine and an ethical litmus test for the reader.

Characters and Conflicts

Horace Rumpole is the anchoring presence, equal parts curmudgeon and moralist, whose affection for literature, sherry and the lettered life informs his courtroom tactics. His adversaries range from pompous judges and ambitious prosecutors to entrenched societal attitudes that make defending certain clients a career risk. The supporting cast, clerks, colleagues and family, provide recurring counterpoints that highlight Rumpole's peculiar blend of decency and obstinacy.

Conflict often arises less from complicated legal theory than from the cultural baggage surrounding a case. Whether confronted by anti-democratic fervour, local prejudice or professional snobbery, Rumpole confronts contradictions in witness testimony, motive and public rhetoric, exploiting them through subtle cross-examination that exposes hypocrisy more than mere technicality.

Courtroom Technique and Tone

Mortimer excels at depicting trial craft: the small, human moments that change the course of testimony, the improvisatory art of questions that seem casual but are surgical. Rumpole's victories typically rely on catching witnesses in the act of revealing their assumed certainties, collapsing confident narratives into embarrassing inconsistencies. The prose delights in procedural detail without becoming dry, using legal minutiae to illuminate character.

The tone remains animatedly ironic rather than bitter. Humour softens the sharper critiques, allowing satire and affection to coexist; even when the outcome is unsettling, the storytelling emphasizes the dignity of legal advocacy and the comic resilience of its protagonist.

Significance and Reception

The collection reinforces Rumpole's status as Mortimer's most enduring creation: a sympathetic celebrates of the defence bar who defends civil liberties by practicing them. Readers drawn to courtroom drama will appreciate the taut plotting, while those interested in social commentary will find acute observations about prejudice and power. The stories continue to be valued for combining legal verve with humane philosophy, offering pleasure and provocation in equal measure.