INTRODUCTION TO
LITERARY
JOURNALISM
Professor Mark Massé
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.
Role of Literary Journalism
Using in-depth research/reportage and
dramatic storytelling techniques to enhance
a reader’s worldview.
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.
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.
Criteria
Journalistic Credibility (factual accuracy,
ethics) — requires saturation/immersion
reporting and field observation
Artistic Merit (literary quality)
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)
Ethical Guidelines
Everything should be verifiable
Use of information not imagination
Creative presentation of facts, not
“creation” of facts, scenes, or events
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)
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).
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)
Always remember…
The literary journalist is bound by facts,
opinions, observations, and other
information obtained through research.
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
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
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