Rearch Paper Outline

Research Paper Outline

Michelle Klug

Introduction

Throughout this class, we have studied new journalism, and tried to pinpoint what makes it “new”.  Three new journalists in particular have had some of their best-known works come out of portraying the west coast as it was known in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Joan Didion give as a dark look at a few expressive personalities as well as her own experiences in the mid 1960’s in “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”. The three-part collection of essays first explores the accounts of a few different people, all in different situations with different perspectives on the happenings of the 1960’s. The second part is Didion’s own account on her past and present. The third part is about a few memorable places, how these places came to shape her and ties in the previous parts of the book.

Tom Wolfe takes us on a wild drug-induced ride in “The Electic Kool Aid Acid Test”. Although Wolfe is not directly in the book, and does not speak of his personal involvement very often, he gives a colorful and innovative account of a group of experimental travelers led my Ken Kesey. Wolfe reflects some individual and group voices and gives the reader a look into the culture of the 1960’s as seen through the eyes of a Merry Prankster.

Hunter S. Thomson uses gonzo journalism in many articles published in “The Great Shark Hunt”. His focus is on the late 1960’s and early 1970’s culture if a different manner than both Didion and Wolfe. His total immersion, wild, and crude account of his own experiences give the reader a different perspective on the counterculture, their happenings, and ideals.

Research Question

What are the techniques and styles used by Thomson, Wolfe, and Didion to portray the 60’s and 70’s counterculture and represent the social fragmentation of this time period?

Literature Review

Reading and explanation of works of the three authors are necessary. While I have a pretty good understanding of these works, I will use articles, videos, and excerpts to show how each author portrays the culture. I will also use literature to explore the authors’ roles in the books, their feelings toward and involvement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and how this is reflected in each of their stories.

Research Methods

Some themes I will explore are rejection of tradition, sexuality, individuality, and distrust of authority. I will explore how each of these authors represent these themes and how it reflects on the generation and the view of new journalism as a whole.

I have read works from all three authors. I will choose the articles from The Great Shark Hunt that describe Thomson’s reflections the best. I am using “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and “The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.” I will analyze all three and show how each differ in showing the themes above and how each author represents the counterculture of the 1960’s.

Results

After a close analysis of the books, I will compare and contrast each and express the results in my research paper.

Discussion

How a distinct culture can be represented in different ways using select groups. What are the negative and positive of the cultural revolution were portrayed and were the authors justified in focusing on these aspects?

Bibliography

Thompson, Hunter S. (1992). Gonzo Papers, Volume 1: The Great Shark Hunt. New York, NY. Ballantine Books.

Didion, Joan. (1968). Slouching Towards Bethlehem. New York, NY. Simon and Schuster.

Wolfe, Tom. (1968). The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. New York, NY. Farrar, Straus, and Girox

Staub, Michael E. (1997). Black Panthers, New Journalism, and the Rewriting of the Sixties. Representations. 57. Pp. 52-72. Retrieved September 13, 2010, from htt://jstor.org/stable/2928663

This article discusses how new journalism portrays a true reality of social fragmentation of the 60’s. The article discusses objectivity and the reasons for the rise of new journalism.

Wimmer, Natasha. "Joan Didion: Telling It Like It Is (or Should Be)." Publishers Weekly 248.42 (2001): 41-42. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 13 Sept. 2010.

Muggli, Mark Z. "The Poetics of Joan Didion's Journalism." American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography 59.3 (1987): 402-421. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 13 Sept. 2010.

Konas, Gary. "Traveling 'Furthur' with Tom Wolfe's Heroes." Journal of Popular Culture 28.3 (1994): 177-192. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 13 Sept. 2010.

Bortz, Eli J. The New Journalism and Its Editors: Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, and Their Early Experiences. Gainesville, Fla.: University of Florida, 2005. Internet resource

Meyers, Paul T. New Journalist As Culture Critic: Wolfe, Thompson, Talese. , 1989. Print.

Thompson, Hunter S, Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney, and Johnny Depp. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Los Angeles, Calif: Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008.