Slouching Towards Bethlehem

essays by Didion

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Slouching Towards Bethlehem is a collection of essays by Joan Didion, published in 1968. It is known for its lucid prose and its examination of social unrest and psychological fragmentation, particularly in relation to the 1960s counterculture in California. The title essay, which takes its name from a poem by W.B. Yeats, offers a critical look at the Haight-Ashbury hippie scene in San Francisco. Didion's work is a prominent example of New Journalism, a style that blended literary techniques with factual reporting.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

American literature
Literary biography and the new journalism
…incisive social and literary commentary, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979). The title essay of the first collection was an honest investigation of the forces that gave color and significance to the counterculture of the 1960s, a subject also explored with stylistic flourish by journalists as different…
Read More
…incisive social and literary commentary, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979). The title essay of the first collection was an honest investigation of the forces that gave color and significance to the counterculture of the 1960s, a subject also explored with stylistic flourish by journalists as different…
Read More

literary journalism
, Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem) but also commonly write shorter pieces (such as Gay Talese “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold”). Literary journalism transcends the limitations imposed by the requirements of conventional journalism to offer a nuanced, interpretive view of factual reality, what some have called the “feel”…
Read More
, Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem) but also commonly write shorter pieces (such as Gay Talese “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold”). Literary journalism transcends the limitations imposed by the requirements of conventional journalism to offer a nuanced, interpretive view of factual reality, what some have called the “feel”…
Read More