CNF: Literary Journalism

• According to Richard Nordquist (2020), literary journalism is nonfiction that combines factual reporting with narrative techniques and stylistic strategies traditionally associated with fiction.
• The term "literary journalism" was coined by American journalist Gay Talese in the late 1960s as a way to describe his own work and that of others who were blending traditional journalistic practices with more artistic approaches.
• This form of writing can also be called narrative journalism or new journalism
• The term literary journalism is sometimes used interchangeably with creative nonfiction
• Norman Sims: literary journalism, "demands immersion in complex, difficult subjects. The voice of the writer surfaces to show that the author is at work."
• According to Sims, a few somewhat flexible rules and common features define literary journalism
• Shared Characteristics of Literary Journalism

  • immersion reporting
  • complicated structure
  • character development
  • symbolism
  • voice
  • a focus on ordinary people
  • accuracy
• A list of characteristics can be an easier way to define literary journalism than a formal definition or a set of rules.
• Among those rules, Kramer included:

  • Literary Journalists immerse themselves in the subjects' worlds.
  • Literary Journalists work out implicit covenants (agreement) about accuracy and candor (being open).
  • Literary Journalists write mostly about routine events.
  • Literary Journalists develop meaning by building upon the readers' sequential reactions.
• NOTE: Journalism ties itself to the actual, the confirmed, that which is not simply imagined.
• Literary journalists have adhered to the rules of accuracy and precision because their work cannot be labeled as journalism if details and characters are imaginary.
• Literary journalism is not fiction, the people are real and the events occurred, nor is it journalism in a traditional sense.
• Because creative nonfiction is so nuanced (difference in meaning), the burden of interpreting literary journalism falls on readers.
• John McPhee, quoted by Sims in The Art of Literary Journalism, elaborates: "Through dialogue, words, the presentation of the scene, you can turn over the material to the reader. The reader is ninety-some percent of what's creative in creative writing. A writer simply gets things started."
• Literary Journalists must deliver facts and comment on current events
• Literary Journalists must speak to larger big picture truths about culture, politics, society, and tradition.
• Literary Journalists are more tied to authenticity than other journalists.
• Literary journalism exists for a reason: to begin conversations