What can we learn from BS Johnson?

Dave Briggs

Aims

• To gain knowledge about BS Johnson, his life and his work.

• To practice skills of assessing different ways of telling stories and innovating in the way work is done.

• To reflect on the attitudes we have towards our work, whether we have fixed ideas about how it is done and the ways we could innovate ourselves.

Objectives

• Understand the concept of a story, and a novel

• Gain an understanding of the life and work of BS Johnson

• To take away ideas on how Johnson’s approach to his writing can help us in our work

What is a novel?

• BS Johnson was a novelist.• However, he said that “telling stories was

telling lies”.• He believed that films and TV did made-up

stories much better than novels.• Therefore, all novels should be based directly

on the author’s real experience.

Discussion exercise

• Think about the books you like to read.• Which would you call novels? • Why would you describe them as novels?• Can you think of a story in a book, that isn’t a

novel?

About BS Johnson

• Born in 1933 in London• Started work at 16 as a

clerk• Learned Latin at night

school and went to university

• Became a teacher, and then a full time writer

BS Johnson’s work

• His novels were increasingly experimental in terms of form and typography

• He also wrote plays, films and television programmes

Form

• Form is the way the story is written. For example:– Traditional ‘realist’ novel– Film scripts– Diaries– Letters– Stream of consciousness– Different perspectives

Typography

• Typography is the way the story is printed. For instance:– Use of fonts– Size of writing– Use of white space– Use of colour– The shape of the paper– The way the book is bound

Johnson’s novels

• Travelling People (1963)• Albert Angelo (1964)• Trawl (1966)• The Unfortunates (1969)• House Mother

Normal (1971)• Christie Malry's Own

Double-Entry (1973)• See the Old Lady

Decently (1975)

Discussion exercise

• Look at the worksheet with different stories listed.

• What form could they be written in?– Remember, form is the style of writing, such as

letters, diaries or film scripts etc• What typographical innovations might be

used?– Remember, typography is things like fonts, paper,

binding and so on

About BS Johnson

• At the age of 40, in 1973, he committed suicide.

• He didn’t feel he was achieving the critical or commercial success he should have been.

Summary

• Ultimately, Johnson failed on his own terms.

• But we are still talking about him!

• Also, he tried to do something new, didn’t settle for the accepted methods.

Final exercise

• Check your knowledge with the quiz

• Think about the final question – what can we learn from BS Johnson in our own lives and practice?

Any final questions?

Dave Briggs

dave@kindofdigitial.com