Overview

Hunter Thompson's writing is widely read and studied, yet as a methodology and body of work his Gonzo journalism has not been the subject of much critical or theoretical examination. This book fills the gap by constructing a coherent theoretical framework around Gonzo journalism. Drawing on theories of subjectivity and authorship from Derrida, Foucault and Barthes, key themes of Gonzo journalism are considered, including edgework, representations of drug use, ideas of professional objectivity in political journalism, sports in American culture and 'the death of the American Dream'. It is considered in wider social, political and historical contexts and in terms of boundaries of reportable experience and of objectivity and/or journalism. Matthew Winston's study provides a critical commentary and a theoretical exploration of how Gonzo can be read as destabilising conventional ideas of journalism itself, in its peculiarly unclassifiable nature. This book is designed to be read by postgraduates and scholars in journalism, cultural studies and media and communication. It is also suitable as an undergraduate text dealing with journalism theory, literary journalism, sports journalism, the New Journalism and the wider historical contexts of American journalism.

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9781453913581

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Reviews

-This book is a major contribution to the scholarship on Hunter S. Thompson and a striking contribution to the field of narco-critical studies. It brilliantly elucidates the relationship between Thompson's unhinged journalism and the politics of literary production, while demonstrating how his experimental, intoxicated engagement with the wider cultural context of writing leads to insights unavailable to 'objective reportage'. Matthew Winston elegantly reveals Thompson to be not only a rock 'n' roll counter-cultural icon, but a major cultural commentator whose literary practice unsettles the distinction between the real and the imaginary. This book will be of vital interest to those working in critical journalism and literary and cultural studies.- (Dave Boothroyd, Professor of Media and Culture, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom)

Author Information

Matthew Winston (PhD, Cardiff University) is a tutor in the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University.

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