Style, Imagery, Language

I am really digging the style of writing used by Larson. As I continue to get deeper into the plot, I am beginning to notice some trends that are really interesting. Everyone knows the phrase that has been drilled into our heads about how to tell a story – “show don’t tell.” And Larson does just that. Instead of explaining exactly what is going on in a scene, Larson paints the picture (sorry I know that’s cliché). This is interesting because it begs the question – How can Larson paint a scene that occurred before he was born? As gathered from phrases like, ‘Olmstead later wrote’ etc, it is clear that Larson uses letters to furnish his stories with dialogue and views of the characters of DWC.

I’m guessing that creative license is what allows Larson to vividly paint scenes such as his murder of Julia Connor under the guise of performing an abortion of their child before wedlock. Without the descriptive language and vivid imagery, DWC wouldn't be considered a work of CREATIVE nonfiction. Instead, it would be dull, and read like a history textbook.

 Yuck.

Another interesting technique used by Larson is the fact that sometimes, he doesn’t explicitly state something, but we are able to understand what is going on as a result of subtle hints. In this way, Larson leads us to a truth, rather than spelling it out to the reader. Possibly, this could be a result of Larson’s commitment to the truth, and as a piece of nonfiction, whether creative or not, Larson is unable to state things that aren’t proven by his research. Other possible reasons for this technique could be to lead the reader into making their own judgments, to foreshadow future events, or giving the audience the benefit of the doubt (giving the audience a chance to prove that they don’t need Larson to hold their hand and explain every minute detail to get the picture).

Especially after doing some interviews for my long haul topic, these techniques makes a lot of sense. Even though you are only presented with facts, or with quotes to use, there is much more truth than what is physically said. You can get more out of the interview than just a few usable quotes. In this way, Larson isn't falsifying scenes. He is taking the information he has gathered, and brings it to life, something that I will definitely consider, and take into account when I am writing my long haul paper.