‘The Sown and the Waste’ – or, the psychedelic writing of film history
NECSUS January 1, 2013 Alexandra Schneider, Wanda Strauven, Casper Tybjerg 1 citation
This essay argues that film historians can learn from historian J.H. Hexter's ideas about the rhetoric of history, particularly his concept of using language 'psychedelically'. The author distinguishes this approach from the history of 'head' films or writing film history under the influence of drugs. Instead, the essay explores how Hexter's writings offer a method for historians to employ vivid, imaginative language to convey historical understanding. The focus is on the rhetorical strategies historians use to make their accounts compelling and insightful, drawing a parallel between the mind-expanding connotations of the term 'psychedelic' and the creative use of language in historical writing.