Slouching Towards Bethlehem Essays

Uponitspublicationin1968,SlouchingTowardsBethlehemconfirmedJoanDidionasoneofthemostprominentwritersontheliteraryscene.Herunblinkingvisionanddeadpantonehaveinfluencedsubsequentgenerationsofreportersandessayists,changingourexpectationsofstyle,voice,andtheartisticpossibilitiesofnonfiction."Inherportraitsofpeople,""TheNewYorkTimesBookReviewwrote,"Didionisnotouttoexposebuttounderstand,andsheshowsusactorsandmillionaires,doomedbridesandnaiveacid-trippers,left-wingideologuesandsnobsoftheHawaiianaristocracyinawaythatmakesthemneithervillainousnorglamorous,butaliveandbotchedandoftenmournfullybeautiful....Araredisplayofsomeofthebestprosewrittentodayinthiscountry."Inessayafteressay,Didioncapturesthedislocationofthe1960s,thedisorientationofacountryshreddingitselfapartwithsocialchange.Heressaysnotonlydescribethesubjectathand--themurderoushousewife,thelittlegirltrailingtherockgroup,themillionairebunkeredinhismansion--butalsoofferabroadervisionofAmerica,onethatisbothterrifyingandtender,ominousanduniquelyherown.JoyceCarolOateshaswritten,"JoanDidionisoneoftheveryfewwritersofourtimewhoapproachesherterriblesubjectwithabsoluteseriousness,withfearandhumilityandawe.Herpowerfulironyisoftensorrowfulratherthanclever....Shehasbeenanarticulatewitnesstothemoststubbornandintractabletruthsofourtime,amemorablevoice,partlyeulogistic,partlydespairing;alwaysincontrol."