DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Response Paper #4: “The Messy Laments of the Perpetual Wedding Guest,” by Zach Schonfeld

            This article differs from conventional journalism in many ways by conforming to the newsmagazine-ese style.  For one, there is the use of rhetorical punctuation.  This includes the use of the hyphen and the question mark in some instances, such as in the first paragraph; “…-or is it 33? God knows- is slotted….”  The use of the hyphen works to guide the reader in the diction and ideas of the author, and the question mark creates a more intimate relationship with the reader, by including the reader in the writer’s narration.  In this way an intimate personal tenor of discourse is created, by establishing an intimate relationship between the author and reader.

            Another way in which this article differs from the style of conventional journalism is the manner in which the author creates a narrative, as opposed to just reporting.  This shows itself in the fifth paragraph, where the author sets the scene of the narrative he writes, about another author’s experience of writing a book about attending weddings.  Here the author of the article paints the picture of the place where he is interviewing Doll, the author of Save the Date”: “We are packed in at Walter’s, a bistro-type joint in Fort Greene, Brooklyn….” Also the author creates a caricature of Doll, by characterizing her through citation and description; for example, in the seventh paragraph Doll is described growing from a child to an adult: “… (how a euphoric, eight-year-old Doll, jumping on a bed in joy after her first wedding, grew into a jaded wedding-sick thirty-something) ….” These ways of creating a narrative create a functional tenor of discourse, where the author is trying to entertain, rather than only to inform, as is the common functional tenor of discourse in conventional journalism.  The author creates a spoken voice throughout the text, establishing a newsmagazine-ese mode of discourse, with the use of informal diction and the use of fragments and incomplete sentences.  One example of informal diction is the phrase “overboozed prick,” in the thirteenth paragraph, and an example of a fragment, or incomplete sentence, is the sentence “And then, the writing.” in the seventh paragraph.  These style choices create an informal tone with the use of spoken voice.

            Another newsmagazine-ese, as opposed to conventional journalism, element of style that this article demonstrates is the presence of the author throughout, which creates a more intimate personal tenor of discourse.  This is apparent where the author places himself in the narrative by using first person diction, with the use of the words “me,” “my,” and “I,” as is written in the second to last paragraph: “…I soon realized my parents’ 25th anniversary was fast approaching….” In conventional journalism, the writer is invisible, but in this article, the author of the article plays a dominant role throughout much of the narration.  Here a tough, author-centric voice is established.  Also, interestingly, the use of second person by the author is used, with the word choices “you” and “your,” in the third to last paragraph, creating a sweet, reader-centric voice.  This is evident in the third to last paragraph; “…your mid-twenties…who will invite you….”  This use of the second person also creates an intimate personal tenor of discourse.

            In conclusion, the article “The Messy Laments of the Perpetual Wedding Guest,” follows the newsmagazine-ese style, and differs from the style of conventional journalism, through the use of rhetorical punctuation, the elements of tenor and mode of discourse, and informality.  By creating a narrative, through description, citation, and unique tone and word choice, the article paints an interesting picture of the character Doll and her experience of writing a book about weddings.  

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.