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Long-form journalism has been written with an eye to "adding texture" for decades. Some of the most celebrated non-fiction writers of the last half-century—Tom
by chipotle_coyote 6y ago
Long-form journalism has been written with an eye to "adding texture" for decades. Some of the most celebrated non-fiction writers of the last half-century—Tom Wolfe, David Foster Wallace, Truman Capote, Hunter S. Thompson—followed in that tradition.
"In the winter of 1965, writer Gay Talese arrived in Los Angeles with an assignment from Esquire to profile Frank Sinatra. The legendary singer was approaching fifty, under the weather, out of sorts, and unwilling to be interviewed. So Talese remained in L.A., hoping Sinatra might recover and reconsider, and he began talking to many of the people around Sinatra—his friends, his associates, his family, his countless hangers-on—and observing the man himself wherever he could. The result, 'Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,' ran in April 1966 and became one of the most celebrated magazine stories ever published, a pioneering example of what came to be called New Journalism—a work of rigorously faithful fact enlivened with the kind of vivid storytelling that had previously been reserved for fiction. The piece conjures a deeply rich portrait of one of the era's most guarded figures and tells a larger story about entertainment, celebrity, and America itself."
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/frank-sinatra-has-a-cold-gay-talese/ https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/frank-sinatra-has...
- mc32 6y agoI’m not saying it doesn’t have its place. I just don’t want it in hard news and related journalism. Sinatra is not a hard news subject. That would belong in Playboy or RollingStone or New Yorker. Imagine a WWII article about any of the mustachioed protagonists and it meandered about their choice of whisker trimming and lifestyle in mountain retreats and seaside dachas instead of all the horrors they caused.
- redler 6y ago"Instead of" would certainly be bad. But the "textural details" of these long-form articles is the sort of experiential glue that can make the scene -- and the facts -- come alive in the mind of the reader. That makes them memorable and relatable, providing hooks to which the reader can attach their understanding. Like the difference between a getting-started guide and chapter one of a reference book -- they both have their place, but they're not the same thing.
- chipotle_coyote 6y agoAs redler noted, you don't want "instead of," but depending on circumstance you might want "in addition to" -- although I think you're stacking the deck a little with your choice. :) Also, you can invert that -- the story that seems to be about something relatively inconsequential can be a lens on more complex issues. Emily VanDerWerff at Vox is (at least to me) excellent at talking about society, culture and politics by talking about film and television. To be clear, I don't want everything to sound like new journalism feature pieces, either, and I'm aware we're veering afield from the linked article's complaints. (I don't think I'm fully on board with that article's kvetching, but Ben Smith is definitely no Gay Talese.)
- jdkee 6y agoThis will certainly fit your bill. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima
- yesenadam 6y agoWow, what an awesome article. Thank you!