The Journalist And The Murderer Sparknotes

In Janet Malcolm’s book the Journalist and the Murderer uses element of nonfiction where it gives an observation of the relationship between writer Joe McGinnis and convicted murder Jeffery Macdonald. The elements that Malcolm focuses on through out the paper include the characterization on how McGinnis acted towards MacDonald to earn his trust and change his view of the story; as well as MacDonald as a character himself and McGinnis character no longer having a connection to his subject. Malcolm also focuses on the element, scene versus exposition through out the piece to help give her analysis between the two people as she becomes more involved with the journalist and the Murderer. The characters of MacDonald and McGinnis as told

Over the time that he had been in prison he had different speech patterns such as using “we” instead of “I”. She also noted for a person who talked a lot he did not interrupt like most people did. She noted this as a sign that MacDonald was the type of person who did not express his feeling as he spoke. She said, “He didn’t have the ability to make the jury believe him. This is an idea that Jeff didn’t like well. He thinks he tells his story well” (67). This quote helps describe that because there was no emotion to how he speaks to other when it comes to emotional situations like the death of his family. In some ways the relationship that he shared with McGinnis might have shaped MacDonald into the person that was presented to Malcolm. Due to a physiological disorder, it was the reason why he talked the way he did. With this information Malcolm was able to gather that McGinnis was able to take advantage of the possible innocence of MacDonald, by saying that he committed the

The exposition helps with this as it sets up the idea on what these people are like, including the author herself as she speaks to those who may become part of the story that she is trying to focus on between these two figures. There was interaction between the both McGinnis and MacDonald that Malcolm had between the two helped developed into scene as well as summary due to the certain content. A good example of the use of scene within the piece was when Malcolm had her interaction with MacDonald. She describes what the procedure the prisoner goes through in order to meet up with a visitor. She continues giving the description of what MacDonald does during there meeting; even focusing on the patterns of his speech that form as the type of person who he