What is Literary Journalism?

Truman Capote: Author of In Cold Blood said it was “a serious new art form”
that combined the power of truth and the drama of story.

3 Role of Literary Journalism Using in-depth research/reportage and dramatic storytelling techniques to
enhance a reader’s worldview.

4 Also known as… This genre of narrative nonfiction writing has been called “the literature of fact.”
Writers depend on advanced reporting, using historical and public records, legal documents, diaries and
personal correspondence, and a myriad of material from publications, databases, and Web sites.

5 Why Literary Journalism? Effective literary journalism enables readers to gain an enlightened
perspective that reveals the extraordinary in everyday life and offers a richer understanding of the facts
surrounding an individual, institution, or event.

6 Criteria Journalistic Credibility (factual accuracy, ethics) — requires saturation/immersion reporting

and field observation Artistic Merit (literary quality)

7 Artistic Merit Metaphor A work of literary journalism is both a window and a mirror. Window:
providing readers with a unique view of the world, a way of life, a subculture Mirror: providing readers
with experiences that make them reflect upon their own lives (the human condition)

8 Ethical Guidelines Everything should be verifiable Use of information not imagination Creative
presentation of facts, not “creation” of facts, scenes, or events

9 Traditional vs. Literary Journalism Traditional journalism’s unit of construction is the FACT Literary
journalism’s unit of construction is the SCENE (witnessed or recreated/anecdotal)

10 A Literary Scene A literary scene is a dramatic narrative that has a goal, complication, or conflict; has
a beginning, middle, and end; and has a structure (e.g., complication, development, point of insight,
resolution).
11 Techniques Scenes (dramatic narrative) Characterization (psychological depth) Description
(sensory/status details) Dialogue (versus quotes) Point of View (versus “objective” stance)
Metaphors/Similes Literary Style (irony, symbolism, foreshadowing)

12 Always remember… The literary journalist is bound by facts, opinions, observations, and other
information obtained through research.

13 Among the Best of 20th Century American Journalism The following works of literary journalism were
chosen from a Top 100 list of the 20th century’s best American journalism by a panel of experts
assembled by the New York University School of Journalism. # 1. John Hersey: Hiroshima, 1946 # 18. Tom
Wolfe: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, 1968 # 19. Norman Mailer: The Armies of the Night, 1968

14 Among the Best of 20th Century American Journalism (cont.) # 22. Truman Capote: In Cold Blood: A
True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, 1965 # 23. Joan Didion: Slouching Towards
Bethlehem, 1968 # 24. Tom Wolfe: The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, 1965 # 25.
Michael Herr: Dispatches, 1977

15 Among the Best of 20th Century American Journalism (cont.) # 36. Joseph Mitchell: Up in the Old
Hotel and Other Stories, 1992 # 43. Gay Talese: Fame and Obscurity, 1970 # 48. Tom Wolfe: The Right
Stuff, 1979 # 54. John McPhee: The John McPhee Reader, 1976