Character
Jack Dawson
Writing & Narrative
Arts, Music & MediaWho is Jack Dawson in the Agency editorial?
Jack Dawson is the protagonist of the film Titanic (1997), directed by James Cameron and played by Leonardo DiCaprio. In the Agency editorial he appears once, in Writing.1, The Titanic Theory, which recalls his cry at the bow of the ship to ask writers whether they are the kings of their own worlds.
In short
Jack Dawson is the young passenger at the centre of the film Titanic. Writing.1 of the Agency editorial, the edition that presents The Titanic Theory, names him once, at the end of the topic that gives the theory its name. The edition recalls the scene in which he says "I'm the king of the world!" as he opens his arms as if they were wings while standing at the bow of the RMS Titanic. The scene, it says, paves the way for the final question of the topic: are you the king of your own worlds, or have you been writing for others? The sentence comes right after a warning to writers who do not put intention, authenticity, experimentation and critical thinking in their words.
Key facts
- Which work does Jack Dawson belong to?
- He belongs to the film Titanic. Writing.1 does not name the film in that sentence, but places him at the bow of the RMS Titanic.
- How does Writing.1 use Jack Dawson?
- It recalls his cry of being the king of the world and turns it into a question for the writer: are you the king of your own worlds or have you been writing for others?
- Where in the edition does he appear?
- At the end of the topic called The Titanic Theory, just before the topic The Paperweight. He is not mentioned again in the edition.
Who is Jack Dawson?
Jack Dawson is the protagonist of Titanic, the 1997 film written and directed by James Cameron, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays him. He is a young artist without money who boards the ship, and the scene of his cry at the bow is one of the best known of the film.
How does Jack Dawson appear in Writing.1?
Writing.1 presents The Titanic Theory as a treatise and a set of principles to help writers persevere when culture and entertainment are being automated. In it the ship stands for the writer: a Titanic is a writer because it can cross thousands of nautical miles with its own engine, and a writer is a Titanic of a human being because he or she can envision anything and inscribe it with language.
Jack Dawson closes that topic. After warning that a writer without intention and authenticity may be missing the Iceberg on the horizon, the edition recalls him with open arms at the bow, declaring himself king of the world, and asks the reader the final question about being the king of one's own worlds or writing for others.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.