The Journalistic Imagination: Literary Journalists From Defoe To Capote And Carter

The Journalistic Imagination Today the media exert enormous political, ideological and cultural power, yet journalism retains a precarious position within literary culture and academia. By focusing on the journalism of ten celebrated writers from Britain, the United States and France, this text identifies some of the elements that make up the journalistic imagination and explores the reasons why it has so long been devalued and misunderstood. The Journalistic Imagination draws together a group of top English and journalism academics in a unique collaboration – examining the neglected work of famous writers and celebrating the specific literary qualities of journalism as a genre. In the process, it highlights: · · · the ways in which the writers blur the boundaries between journalism and literature in a variety of areas (eyewitness reporting, political campaigning, arts reviewing, column writing, war reporting, crime reporting, cultural commentary, sketch writing); the evolution of a specific journalistic sensibility and creative, literary style; the functions of journalism both within the public sphere and for the individual writers. Writers include: Daniel Defoe, William Hazlitt, George Sand, Charles Dickens, Willa Cather, Graham Greene, George Orwell, Martha Gellhorn, Truman Capote and Angela Carter. This text will be of interest to students of journalism, English, media studies, creative writing and cultural studies in general. Contributors: Charlotte Beyer, Jane Chapman, Kirsten Daly, David Finkelstein, Richard Keeble, Jenny McKay, Nick Nuttall, Linden Peach, John Tulloch and Deborah Wilson Richard Keeble is Professor of Journalism at the University of Lincoln. His publications include The Newspapers Handbook (fourth edition, 2005), Ethics for Journalists (2001) and Secret State, Silent Press (1997). He is also joint editor of the academic quarterly Ethical Space. Sharon Wheeler is Field Chair in Print Journalism, PR and Publishing at the University of Gloucestershire. She is completing Feature Writing for Journalists (2007) and has contributed to Print Journalism (2005). Sharon is editor of http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com and is part of the blogging team at http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/ The Journalistic Imagination Literary journalists from Defoe to Capote and Carter Edited by Richard Keeble and Sharon Wheeler First published 2007 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Editorial selection and material © 2007 Richard Keeble and Sharon Wheeler; individual chapters © 2007 the contributors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or