Hunter S. Thompson was an American writer and journalist that acted as an important figure in the counterculture of the sixties. Along with other writers in the new journalism movement, he wrote works that used both literary and journalistic devices. In his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he reached the pinnacle of his style, which he called gonzo journalism. In this paper we examined the development of his personal style, analyzed the content, narrative devices and the relationship between the author and the narrator, his alter-ego. We have come to the conclusion that the work is not as based on reality as other new journalism, therefore belonging fully into fiction, rather than nonfiction. The subjective narrative allows the author to express personal truth in the vein of the modern novel as well as express general truth, which transcends personal experience. The book’s message reports on the failed task of the counterculture movement. Thompson aspired to find this sort of insight though further books and articles, but none have reached as high a success as those before.
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