‘The Sown and the Waste’ – or, the psychedelic writing of film history

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The word ‘psychedelic’ was coined in the 1950s by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond to describe hallucinogenic drugs like mescaline and LSD – but this essay will not be about either the history of ‘head’ films or how to write film history on acid. What I want to do is to show what film historians can learn from J.H. Hexter’s writings on the rhetoric of history, including a look at what he meant when he wrote about how historians use language ‘psychedelically’.