The "I" of the storm . . .

Jonathon Mahler had a piece in the NYT the other day that, while using the controversy over “Dr. V’s Magical Putter,” was really aimed at the overuse of first-person narrative in nonfiction.

Mahler makes excellent points, but I do have a quibble, as he seems to blame a great deal of the overuse on the internet and the latest fads. But first person narratives where the journalist becomes the driving character of the story have been extremely popular at least since “New Journalism,” which is pretty much “long form” journalism under an earlier (if not necessarily more accurate) name.

In the right hands and on the right subject – think Tom Wolfe – the journalist as character is an effective tool. If the article is constructed in a way that the reader can both identify with the character and learn something through that identification, then all is well. But in far, far too many places – even those magazines Mahler cites approvingly – the “I” is simply an egotist getting in the way of what’s really important.

I think the real lesson for writers has to do with humility, a quality far undervalued in modern times. And, as “Dr. V’s Magical Putter” shows, writing can sometimes reveal much about the writer and what he or she doesn’t know.

As for the original story, it's here.