Gonzo: Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
What Is Gonzo?
Gonzo' journalism is what Hunter S. Thompson has been famous for ever since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' However, Fear and Loathing' itself is a hybrids- "It's reportage, It's fiction What is it? It's Gonzo!"
Consulting the nearest dictionary at hand which happens to be the Macquarie Australia's National Dictionary', located near my left foot, Gonzo isn't even mentioned. Not even under the journalism' entry. Wikipedia describes Gonzo as a style of reportage, filmmaking or any form of multimedia production in which the creator is intrinsically enmeshed with the subject action, rather than being a passive observer. The term Gonzo' is often misattributed to Hunter S Thompson, but it was first coined by Boston Globe'
reporter, Bill Cardoso who after first reading the infamous Scanlan Monthly article in issue one, appropriately titled The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.' Cardoso proclaimed "That is pure Gonzo!" according to Cardoso; Gonzo' is south Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after a drinking marathon. The term has now come to take on a broader term used to describe generally any writing that is broadly similar to Thompson's writing, which is characterized by a drug fuelled stream of consciousness* technique.
Central to Gonzo Journalism is the notion that journalism can be more truthful without strict observation of the traditional rules of factual reportage*. Gonzo journalism argues that journalism can be truthful without thriving for objectivity. It favors style over accuracy and aims to describe personal experiences or the essence or mood of things rather than facts.
"Gonzo journalism is a style of reporting based in William Faulkner's idea that the best fiction is far more true' than any kind of journalism- and the best journalists have always known this. Which is not to say that fiction is necessarily more true' than journalism- or vice versa- but that both fiction' and journalism' are artificial categories and that both forms, at their best, are only two different means to the same end"- Hunter S Thompson.
*Appendicies
*Stream of Consciousness Stream of Consciousness writing gives light to a literary technique which seeks to describe an individuals point of view by giving the written equivalent of the characters thought process. This type of writing is strongly associated with the modernist movement, a cultural movement that generally included the progressive art and architecture, music, literature and design which emerged in the decade before 1914. it was a movement or artists and designers who rebelled against the late 19th century traditions, and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the evolving modern world. Stream of consciousness writing is usually regarded as a special form of interior monologue, which Thompson employs as a writing style, that is characterized by associative and sometimes leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow, chasing the story through fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings.
*Rules of factual Reportage Certain code of ethics' that journalists follow, basically follow principals of: truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability. These apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent reportage to the public.
Gonzo' journalism is what Hunter S. Thompson has been famous for ever since Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' However, Fear and Loathing' itself is a hybrids- "It's reportage, It's fiction What is it? It's Gonzo!"
Consulting the nearest dictionary at hand which happens to be the Macquarie Australia's National Dictionary', located near my left foot, Gonzo isn't even mentioned. Not even under the journalism' entry. Wikipedia describes Gonzo as a style of reportage, filmmaking or any form of multimedia production in which the creator is intrinsically enmeshed with the subject action, rather than being a passive observer. The term Gonzo' is often misattributed to Hunter S Thompson, but it was first coined by Boston Globe'
reporter, Bill Cardoso who after first reading the infamous Scanlan Monthly article in issue one, appropriately titled The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.' Cardoso proclaimed "That is pure Gonzo!" according to Cardoso; Gonzo' is south Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after a drinking marathon. The term has now come to take on a broader term used to describe generally any writing that is broadly similar to Thompson's writing, which is characterized by a drug fuelled stream of consciousness* technique.
Central to Gonzo Journalism is the notion that journalism can be more truthful without strict observation of the traditional rules of factual reportage*. Gonzo journalism argues that journalism can be truthful without thriving for objectivity. It favors style over accuracy and aims to describe personal experiences or the essence or mood of things rather than facts.
"Gonzo journalism is a style of reporting based in William Faulkner's idea that the best fiction is far more true' than any kind of journalism- and the best journalists have always known this. Which is not to say that fiction is necessarily more true' than journalism- or vice versa- but that both fiction' and journalism' are artificial categories and that both forms, at their best, are only two different means to the same end"- Hunter S Thompson.
*Appendicies
*Stream of Consciousness Stream of Consciousness writing gives light to a literary technique which seeks to describe an individuals point of view by giving the written equivalent of the characters thought process. This type of writing is strongly associated with the modernist movement, a cultural movement that generally included the progressive art and architecture, music, literature and design which emerged in the decade before 1914. it was a movement or artists and designers who rebelled against the late 19th century traditions, and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the evolving modern world. Stream of consciousness writing is usually regarded as a special form of interior monologue, which Thompson employs as a writing style, that is characterized by associative and sometimes leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow, chasing the story through fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings.
*Rules of factual Reportage Certain code of ethics' that journalists follow, basically follow principals of: truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability. These apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent reportage to the public.