Dissecting Stephen King : from the Gothic to literary naturalism / Heidi Strengell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strengell, Heidi.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Horror tales, American--History and criticism.

Horror tales, American.

Gothic revival (Literature)--United States.

Gothic revival (Literature).

Naturalism in literature.

King, Stephen, 1947---Criticism and interpretation.

King, Stephen.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press/Popular Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In a thoughtful, well-informed study exploring fiction from throughout Stephen King's immense oeuvre, Heidi Strengell shows how this popular writer enriches his unique brand of horror by building on the traditions of his literary heritage. Tapping into the wellsprings of the gothic to reveal contemporary phobias, King invokes the abnormal and repressed sexuality of the vampire, the hubris of Frankenstein, the split identity of the werewolf, the domestic melodrama of the ghost tale. Drawing on myths and fairy tales, he creates characters who, like the heroic Roland the Gunslinger and the villainous Randall Flagg, may either reinforce or subvert the reader's childlike faith in society. And in the manner of the naturalist tradition, he reinforces a tension between the free will of the individual and the daunting hand of fate. Ultimately, Strengell shows how King shatters our illusions of safety and control: "King places his decent and basically good characters at the mercy of indifferent forces, survival depending on their moral strength and the responsibility they may take for their fellow men."

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Abbreviations

Introduction

King, His World, and Its Characters

Interpreter of the Postmodern Condition

King's Brand of Horror

1. The Gothic in King's Works

Abnorml and Repressed Sexuality (the Vampire)

Hubris and Death (Frankenstein's Monster)

The Gothic Double (the Werewolf)

The Gothic Melodrama (the Ghost)

2. Myths and Fairy Tales in King's Works

The Hero as a Generic Hybrid (Roland the Gunslinger)

The Antihero as a Generic Hybrid (Randall Flagg)

Adapted and Revised Myths and Fairy Tales

Mythical and Fairy-Tale Themes

3. Literary Naturalism in King's Works

Free Will and Responsibility

Genetic and Sociological Determinism

Cosmological Determinism and Fate

Metafictional Determinism

Conclusion

Appendix: A Note on Previous Criticism

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

"A Ray and Pat Browne book."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 275-292) and index.

ISBN:

9786612269851

9780299209735

0299209733

9781282269859

1282269852

OCLC:

646808892