Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Reading Response: LeBlanc's "Trina and Trina"

At one point, LeBlanc relates her positionality in the narrative to that of voyeurism. That's something I kept returning to throughout "Trina and Trina" as LeBlanc is granted (seemingly) unlimited access to Trina's most intimate interactions and behaviors, and all the while, as LeBlanc notes, Trina is largely unaware that she has an audience...or is she?

The relationship between narrative journalism and voyeurism (or the distinction between narrative journalists and voyeurs) is interesting because it raises questions about curiosity versus invasiveness. Delving into private lives is the nonfiction writer's greatest privilege, according to Gay Talese in "Telling True Stories", but I've always wondered when a reporter goes too far. LeBlanc is very self-aware in this piece, especially in this sense. She acknowledges that she's exceeding the role of reporter, "convinced I am going the limit as a reporter", when she decides to take Trina in. She feeds her, buys her notebooks in which Trina reveals her life, is her chauffeur to and from prison and rehab. 

But LeBlanc seems to be equally passive in the story. "Trina and Trina" opens with LeBlanc just watching Trina go in and out of the buses doing crack. She watches Trina interact with crack dealers and neighborhood friends from the inside of her car. She's able to give the reader so much detail about Trina's appearance, interactions, mannerisms and speech because she watches and listens, like a voyeur. That she allows so many months to pass without seeing or hearing from Trina reads like a balance to those times LeBlanc exceeds her responsibilities as a reporter. 

In the end, she calls Trina her friend. Trina in turn says she loves Adrian. Adrian transforms from voyeur and journalist to normal human being who can't be in this relationship anymore because it's destructive for the both of them. For me, this ending reveals the possibilities of narrative journalism and illuminates the human compassion and connection that is embedded in the genre.

2 comments:

  1. You touched on some of the major questions that many of us seem to be asking throughout the LeBlanc reading. The concept of voyeurism that you focused on at the beginning of this response, however, was not an idea that I had thought about. It occurred to me that the intense connection that LeBlanc was making with Trina was in some sense (although I agree that we need to discuss what sense?) over stepping the line of reporting, but a voyeuristic aspect was a new idea. I think of voyeurism as a big negative, and my perception of Trina and LeBlanc’s was as a bit “off”, so perhaps this is the right term for the relationship.

    What becomes voyeurism in reporting though? In what ways can it become negative or positive? These are some ideas that I would like to discuss in class.

    Additionally, I liked how you spelled out some of the more bizarre things that LeBlanc witnessed in her story on Trina: doing crack, going in and out of those cars. In contrast to the perception that LeBlanc was over-involved in Trina’s life, I also sometimes wondered why she wasn’t more involved. I am curious if other readers felt this same conflict, and if that was perhaps intentional by the author.

    Thanks for this reading response- it has clearly brought up many more questions and ideas for me. Looking forward to class.

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  2. Well, voyeurism generally implies some sort of sexual gratification, and I certainly don't think that's going on here. But the idea that journalists get some sort of benefit by witnessing others' conflicts and misfortunes is one of the reasons the profession is widely reviled.

    I, of course, don't see it this way. We always keep the story and the reader at the forefront of our minds, and that makes all the difference. Our aim is to elucidate that which is misunderstood for the benefit of others.

    Anyway, I'm glad you raised this. Based on this and others' responses, it looks like we'll definitely be talking about the relationship between reporter and subject tonight!

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