Storytelling in reference to the “documentary impulse” has an organized aspiring intention of engaging an audience with a resonating central point that often surrounds the perspective of the author, filmmaker, or photographer. The implied definition of “documentary impulse” suggests that one’s confrontation with reality has driven them to record an experience either for their own self reflective reasons, or to share their outcomes with the future generations of humanity. Tragic occurrences throughout mankind, for example, are generally analyzed by historians and researchers more frequently than other incredible human events because various assumptions and conspiracies tend to surround them. The various conspiracy theories which have dominated history are generally based on disbelief of events through fear, but the genesis of these works are shared through the author’s point of view which parallels the single element of the impulse to document. In this essay, the definition of the “documentary impulse” will be established through historical examples by providing analytical questions to grasp the purpose to document, and view how the art of documenting brings us closer to the reality experienced illustrated through the eyes of the author.  

   To open, defining the “documentary impulse” has to coincide with John Grierson’s definition of documentary which is, “the creative treatment of actuality”. As previously mentioned, writers, filmmakers, and photographers all share the common bond of relaying their perspective of reality in a message to an audience through their works. With this in mind, this writer contends that the definition of the “documentary impulse” is the act of recording reality with either a personal or public aim to preserve a personal perspective. Furthermore, the importance of comprehending the intention or purpose of an author’s viewpoint by eliminating our own concepts has become prominently relevant through the interrogative process of examining historical artifacts such as letters, diaries, narratives, photographs, and other media. To be more specific, the usage of “document” as a verb or a noun only scratches the surface because by asking questions concerning “impulse” requires us to unlearn our perspectives, and immerse ourselves within the reality of the subject. To enumerate, on the definition of the “impulse to document” elaborating on specific historical products will illustrate the immersion process which consists of shifting from the object to the subject.  

   First off, we should start with letters because the transition of immersion is relatively easier since there are two subjects (the sender and the recipient) that are responding to essentially one single impulse. “To demonstrate, we will examine a letter sent by Abraham Lincoln addressed to Stephen Douglas involving a public debate” (The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress). To better understand the purpose of Lincoln’s letter to Douglas there are questions we can ask ourselves in order to move forward in a fruitful investigative manner. Who wrote this letter? What can we learn from the dates surrounding the letter? Can we gain more insightful information by seeking out the response to the letter? By finding answers to these questions we can put pieces of the “documentary impulse” puzzle together and eliminate blinders created by presentism. “Both letters and diaries seem to emerge directly from the writer, fresh and intimate, bringing us close to who that person was”(Stowe). With this in mind, it becomes implicit for us to examine the responding letter because we would be unable to move forward in our historical investigation. “The response letter from Stephen Douglas to Abraham Lincoln mentions him deferring to his colleagues about the public debate in question”(Douglas-The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress). Once we have gathered information surrounding both subjects of the letter we can now shift towards what was learned in order to magnify the impulse to history itself. In brief, the next step involving these letters would be to consult relevant historical sources surrounding the Lincoln-Douglas Debates for the purpose of gathering more information. Ultimately, we would learn what was happening at the time period of this letter, and who else was involved in influencing the impulse of the letter to begin with. “Thus, the historical value of reading diaries and letters involves understanding the significance of how individual writers employed, experimented with, or altered the conventional forms alive in their time”(Stowe). 

   Another noteworthy example of the “documentary impulse” is the literary works of slave narratives in history because the subject is dealing with an outside force that directly impacts their writing. Ironically, the subject is forcefully immersed within their own work and this creates two barriers for us as an audience to conquer. In light of this, it would be prevalent to ask questions surrounding the location, all of the parties involved, and the timeframe before even beginning to analyze a captivity narrative because the institution of slavery covers a vast amount of history. As a matter of fact, it is more incumbent upon us to unlearn our personal perspectives in order to relearn and understand the world of captivity presented before us by others because of these intangible boundaries. “The slave narrative was one of the most effective weapons in the propaganda war abolitionists launched against slavery”(Brown and Shannon 204). The Bedford Reader in American History also mentions some slave accounts were works of fiction in order to raise money for abolition”(Brown and Shannon 203). This lucidly emphasizes the importance of researching before engaging because not establishing the validity of a work can lead to misinformation. In the opening paragraphs of Henry Bibb’s Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave, his date of birth, 1815, biographical information about his family, perspectives on white culture, and insights on life as a slave are historical clues we need to investigate further. Why did he only know his maternal unit’s biographical history and was this common for slaves? What besides slavery impacted his influence of white culture? Were his insights on life different than other slaves? Answers to these questions will provide a solid foundation moving forward in grasping the perspectives a slave may document based on experience. In terms of collectively relating captive narratives to a larger context of history we may choose to compare and contrast the writing styles of other slave narratives for the purpose of picking up differences based on location and opposing conceptual views.  

   The final key example related to “documentary impulse” is the photography genre. One may ask since the form of “document” has changed does the analytical process of questioning shift in any way? The short answer is no because the method of research still remains the same. For instance, if one is presented with a historical letter or picture the ending goal is to discover the impulse of both. “To further explain, let us take a look at a photo taken by Jacob Riis entitled Bandit’s Roost.” (History Matters: Who Took the Photograph). Typical questions about the picture should include the photographer, the location, and if there is writing associated with the photo such as a caption or article. Captions and articles related to pictures can be deceptive because they are sometimes written by someone other than the photographer. This once again establishes the emphasis of unlearning in order to relearn when it comes to examining documentary works. Going back to the Bandit’s Roost photograph once we have information on the photographer and the location we can begin to ask more direct questions about the angle in which the picture was shot. Since a photographer is not writing or the fact that captions can be misleading we can tell a lot about an impulse of a picture by the way it is shot, and if most of their other work follows this pattern. For example, in the Riis picture, the building’s proximity clues us in on the urban environment, and his other photographs illustrate the living quarters of people. “Although Jacob Riis did not have an official sponsor for his photographic work, he clearly had an audience in mind when he recorded his dramatic urban scenes”(History Matters: Who Took the Photograph). To clarify, this allows us to search further into the works of Riis, and discover that he documented poor living conditions through photography and writing. In terms of relating his work to a larger historical context through research, we can compare the ending of the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era due to the timeframe of his works.  

   All things considered, the “impulse to document” regardless of genre or media format requires us to ask questions only to gain answers that lead to more questions. The research process is a profound systematic operation that is crucial to placing ourselves in the seat of another. Understanding a sequence and relationship of the work to the subjects involved provides an unfolding of what actuality was through the eyes of the writer. What we can learn from these products of history once the “impulse to document” is grasped is that events that were documented may not represent reality because they are accounts of events by a single individual. Research only allows us to examine these works in order to come to an informed decision about the reality that another experienced. A perfect example of this is shown in slave narratives. “When working with a slave narrative, it is important to remember that the story it tells does not necessarily reflect the experience of the typical slave” (Brown and Shannon 205). To be more specific, the writings of one slave may differ from that of another because their experiences may differ. The variables of location, the kindness or evilness of their masters, and the journey to this country all impact the impulse of documentation. “As any police investigator could tell you, eyewitnesses see different things and remember them in different ways”(Rampola 10). In brief, research has limits, but questions can be a great aid in arriving at a conclusive decision when it comes to historical data. 

Works Cited

Brown, Victoria and Timothy Shannon. Going to the Source: The Bedford Reader in American History. n.d.

Douglas-The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. n.d. <https://www.loc.gov/resource/mal.0110100/?sp=1>.

American Social History Productions, Inc :American Social History Project. 2020.<https://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/1088>.

Rampola, Marylynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History . n.d.

Stowe, Steven. “Making Sense of Evidence .” n.d. History Matters: The U.S. Survey on the Web . 28 June 2015. <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/letters/whatkind.html>.

The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. n.d. 1 August 2015. <https://www.loc.gov/resource/mal.0110100/?sp=2&r=0.163,0.509,0.974,0.415,0>.