Bringing together ten chapters by some of the most important scholars of literary journalism around the world, this book covers a range of topics that are key to understanding the role of literary journalism as both a practice and as a topic of academic study.
Beginning with an introduction which situates literary journalism in its historical context, chapters go on to address the basic definitional problem of literary journalism; the rhetorical strategies of literary journalists; the negotiated roles of subjects and storytellers; gender; geography; the role of literary journalism in fostering the public imagination; and the role of literary journalism in education. Chapters draw on contemporary and relatable case studies which help readers link broader themes with their practical applications. The volume concludes with an Afterword by Bill Reynolds, editor of Literary Journalism Studies, which reflects on the preceding chapters and critically on the direction in which the field is heading in the near future.
Insights on Literary Journalism is highly recommended reading for advanced scholars and researchers of Literary Journalism as well as Literature and Media History.
List of Contributors
Introduction: The Old Journalism
Kevin M. Lerner
Part I: What is Literary Journalism?
Chapter 1: What Counts as Literary Journalism?: A Case Study of The Wire
Roberta S. Maguire and Miles Maguire
Chapter 2: Fields of Activity vs. Genres in Literary Journalism: The Case of Comics Journalism in Brazil
Augusto Paim
Chapter 3: When sources become characters: definers of reality in literary journalism
Mateus Yuri Passos
Part II: Storytellers and Subjects in Literary Journalism
Chapter 4: Helping Give a Subject Their Voice: The Crafted Interview and Environmental Conservation Workers
Christina Yin
Chapter 5: Advocacy, ethics, and objectivity: How literary journalism addresses moral discomfort in the reportage of gender-based violence
Julie Wheelwright
Chapter 6: Making Their Place on the Bus: The Campaign Reportage of Nora Ephron, Gloria Steinem & Joan Didion
Lori Amber Roessner
Part III: Literary Journalism and the Public Sphere
Chapter 7: Journalists Without Borders: Paul McGeough and War Reporting from the Front
Lindsay Morton
Chapter 8: Attitudes toward Authority: Profiling Celebrity Environmentalists in Style
Christine Isager
Part IV: Literary Journalism and the Future of the Field
Chapter 9: Student Perceptions of Literary Journalism’s Potential to Promote a Liberal Education
Jeffrey C. Neely
Afterword
Bill Reynolds
Index
Biography
Kevin M. Lerner is Associate Professor of Journalism and Chair of the Department of Communication, Marist College, USA.
