Stephen King

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on aspects of Stephen King's writing and life. The paper examines how others see Stephen King as a master of the macabre, but King himself has an aversion to being labeled by any single genre. It shows how, in all his novels, King seems to echo the 20th century obsession with horror, where, rather like in "Frankenstein", the initial progress brought on by the Industrial Revolution has waned, and its darker side, like the horrors of nuclear war, hang over the earth like a threatening sword with a kind of doomsday scenario. It discusses that, if we trace the evolution of King as a writer from his early macabre days to his later fantasy novels, he seems to echo deep fears within us all, as we ultimately struggle through the darkness to reach love and light.

From the Paper:

"Stephen Edwin King was born in September 21 st., 1947, Portland, Maine and soon after his birth his mother Nellie Ruth and his father Donald, separated. A product of a broken home, Stephen was brought up by his mother. His early life was spent shuttling between his father's family in Indiana and his mother's family in Massachusetts and Maine. The young Stephen graduated from high school in 1966 and showed early signs of his talent as a writer in the University of Maine from where he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper. As a student, he became a supporter of the anti-war movement and supported a peaceful solution to the war in Vietnam. His mother encouraged him to be a writer, but she was also insistent that he get a teaching certificate, so that he could have a job to rely on, in case his writing career did not progress well. (The Observer, 17 September 2000). He married Tahita Bruce in 1971 and they both had to struggle hard for a livelihood. During this time he taught, worked as a janitor and wrote short stories-Later to be published in the book, "Night Watch.""

More papers on Stephen King:

• Analytical Essay # 123566 : "Stephen King and Symbolism"
• Analytical Essay # 89209 : "Literature: Understanding the Biography of Stephen King and his Major Novel: The Shining"
• Analytical Essay # 67888 : "Novelist Stephen King"

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