THE INTERVIEW
In the chapter The Interview by Christopher Silvester, the interview as a journalistic genre
is explored through its merits and demerits. Additionally, the views of various writers, such
as V.S. Naipaul, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and Saul Bellow, are discussed.
Merits of Interviews:
1. Insightful Exploration:
Interviews allow us to gain insights into the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions of public
figures
Quote:
“According to Denis Brian, ‘almost everything of moment reaches us through one man
asking questions of another.’”
2. Firsthand Knowledge:
Interviews provide authentic, firsthand information about the interviewee’s life and
thoughts
3. Helps Shape Public Opinion & Fosters Understanding:
Interviews help shape public opinion by offering insights into influential figures and
fostering a deeper understanding of their perspectives.
4. Informative & Creative:
They are an informative and creative medium, offering both facts and reflections from the
interviewee.
5. Supremely Serviceable Medium of Communication:
The interview format is flexible and supremely serviceable for conveying different types of
information, whether for personal or professional insights.
6. Highly Effective & Impactful:
Interviews are highly effective and impactful in facilitating communication and exchanging
ideas, allowing for direct engagement between the interviewer and the subject.
7. Provide Powerful Personal Impressions:
They offer powerful personal impressions of public figures, giving readers or viewers a
glimpse of their personalities beyond their public personas.
Demerits of Interviews:
1. Intrusion of Privacy:
Some view interviews as an unwarranted intrusion into their private lives. Celebrities often
see themselves as victims of this process, as it pries into personal matters.
2. Distortion of Subject:
Interviews can lead to distortion, where the interviewee’s words or intentions may be
misrepresented, creating a false public image.
3. Overexposure:
Overexposure can put undue pressure on public figures, as constant questioning and
probing can lead to unnecessary scrutiny
4. Views on Interviews in Primitive Cultures:
In some primitive cultures, interviews are seen as invasive and inappropriate. People in
these cultures believe that revealing too much through interviews can strip away their
dignity and personal essence.
Views of Celebrity Writers on Interviews:
1. V.S. Naipaul:
Naipaul felt interviews revealed too much of a writer’s personal life, harming their
mystique.
Quote: “Some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.”
2. Lewis Carroll:
Carroll avoided interviews, viewing them as a violation of personal space.
Quote: He had ‘a just horror of the interviewer’ and never consented to one.
3. Rudyard Kipling:
Kipling condemned interviews as immoral and intrusive.
Quote: “It is immoral, it is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offence against privacy.”
4. H.G. Wells:
Wells acknowledged interviews but recognized their risks.
Quote: He referred to the interview as ‘an ordeal.’
5. Saul Bellow:
Bellow criticized interviews, comparing them to suffocation.
Quote: Being interviewed is like ‘a thumbprint on the windpipe.’
Conclusion:
Interviews provide a valuable platform for understanding public figures and sharing their
perspectives, but they also raise concerns about privacy, distortion, and overexposure.
Many writers and celebrities view interviews as intrusive, with those from primitive cultures
particularly wary of their effects on personal dignity and essence.
The varied responses from Naipaul, Carroll, Kipling, Wells, and Bellow illustrate the
complexity of this journalistic practice.
