Abstract
An essay on Stephen King's short story about a suicidal traveling salesman named Alfie Zimmer in "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away." The writer argues that King uses symbolism in the story in the form of graffiti that Alfie collects on his travels to represent his desire to reach out to others and communicate.

Tags:Stephen King, story, death, memories, food, family, materialism, art, language, slang

Abstract
This paper examines the biographical background to the life of Stephen King, which reflects the supernatural psychological premise of his novel "The Shining". The paper looks at how King's own workaholic issues reflect how he sees issues in the modern American family, especially through the Torrance family. In this manner, King depicts his own views of how families relate to each other within the supernatural fiction he represents.

From the Paper
In this literary study, the life and literary works of Stephen King will be analyzed in relation to his best selling novel: "The Shining". By understanding the major influences of horror literature that compelled King to write this novel, one can realize his affection for the mysterious, the psychological, and arcane. In realizing the life experiences of King and his literary approach to the telepathic and supernatural, The Shining is a clear example of the philosophy of horror and the psychological problems of the American family."

Tags:king, horror, shining

Abstract
This paper explains that Stephen King is a most prolific writer in one genre, horror books; therefore, there cannot help but be similarities in some of the characters in his dozens of published works. The author points out that every time Stephen King writes or develops a character that is to represent complete and undeniable evil, he gives that character the initials R. F., such as, in "The Stand", he named the epitome of evil, Randall Flagg. The paper relates that another commonality is that several of the characters in Stephen King's novels and short stories are social misfits, which naturally make them prime candidates to experience the horrors of King's innermost imaginative thoughts, as in "IT" or the writer in "Delores".

From the Paper
"In the "Gunslinger", Roland, the main character, is practical and intelligent, which is the path most of King's characters take on. However, that is not an obvious "link" because very few people would read a novel in which the main character was not intelligent. It would make a boring book; therefore, King may not have purposely made this character as intelligent and practical as other "Dark Tower" characters. He may instead have created characters that were intelligent and practical because that is what sells books, and by coincidence, they all appear intelligent and practical."

Tags:intelligent, genre, misfit, evil, power

Abstract
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.""

Tags:carrie, fear, novel, doomsday, fanstasy

Abstract
The paper explains that Stephen King's abounding popularity has come from his mastery of modern horror fiction, especially in his nonfiction book "Dance Macabre." The paper discusses how Stephen King has managed to adapt an old literary genre - horror and gothic fiction - into a form that modern audiences have appreciated in the millions. The paper reveals that this, more than anything else, accounts for his fame and his longevity in the world of fiction. The paper describes King's background and his literary successes. The paper relates that currently, King is working on expanding his "Dark Tower" series into a Marvel Comic series due to be released in 2007.

From the Paper
"Born on September 21, 1947 in Portland Maine, King was raised by his mother--Nellie Pillsbury--after his father abandoned them when he was just two years old; "Ruth raised King and his adopted older brother David by herself, sometimes under great financial strain," (Wikipedia 2006). Nevertheless, King began his writing at a very early age; in fact, he is known to have written short stories on movies that he had seen, and for having sold these stories to fellow students. Once he was caught doing this, his teachers forced him to return the money. Still, already by grade school, King had partially satisfied his own measurement of what it means to be talented; he later wrote, "If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn't bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented," (Wikipedia 2006). Clearly, King was well on his way to becoming a literary talent even by his own judgment."

Tags:literature, horror, gothic, fiction

Abstract
This paper presents a candid account of the writer's opinion of the author, Stephen King. The paper provides examples from some of his literary works, illustrating his claimed genius. King's substance abuse is discussed, pointing out the influence it had on some of his novels. The writer concludes that, despite what anyone might say - King himself included, Stephen King is a master of literary form and, most of all, a master of the game of storytelling.

From the Paper
"The genius that is Stephen King exists on many levels. The fact that he completed one of his highest praised novels, Cujo, well, higher than a kite, is brilliance in itself. If the man can write that well stoned out of his gourd, what could he do sober? Just looking at the cross-section of novels, short stories and even his new serial e-book, your average Stephen King fan will tell you, the man can do anything. He is a literary god. But why? His alter ego, Richard Bachman, did not enjoy the level of success that Stephen King did. As the man, himself, asked, was it because the stories "sucked like an Electrolux?" Of course not. We're talking about Stephen King or Dicky Bachman, as he called himself. The entire idea of the pseudonym brings forth the question, why do some authors achieve the level of success that Stephen King has? Is it really their writing? Well, Richard Bachman or no Richard Bachman, Stephen King's genius is evident in his every word, eluded, loaded or otherwise."

Tags:cujo, richard, bachman, carrie, horror

Abstract
This paper examines how King represents the theme of childhood in his fiction as a platform of discovery for growth and how this growth, in turn, shapes the child's character profoundly. The writer discusses the journey of similar aged characters in "Apt Pupil" and "The Body". In the conclusion, the paper shows that, for Stephen King, the theme of childhood is important not so much as a value itself but as a platform for growth to another stage of maturity.

From the Paper
"One of the most common themes in literature is the growth of an individual from youth and innocence to maturity. Thus, when the theme of childhood is depicted in famous works such as Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the focus is often not so much on childhood itself but on the discoveries and experiences the main characters make that point the way towards maturity. This essay will argue that this approach to the theme of childhood can be seen in two texts from Stephen King's collection: Different Seasons. As will be seen, while in "The Body" the story focuses on a journey - told in retrospect - that symbolizes growth and an end of innocence in the primary character, in "Apt Pupil" the progress is not healthy growth but a movement towards evil and corruption."

Tags:Apt Pupil, The Body, maturity, literature

Abstract
A comparison and contrast of the writing styles of Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King. It looks at how both are similar in presenting the everyday life and in terms of building suspense, sexual tension and the macabre. It also discusses Hitchcock's collaboration with screenwriters on the scripts for the films and King's prolific output as a novelist who is more graphic than Hitchcock.

From the Paper
"The writing styles of Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King are similar in a number of ways. Both writers exhibit a writing style in which we find suspense, sexual tension, the macabre and inhibited or uninhibited character ..."

Tags:suspense, tension, macabre, characterization, everyman, supernatural, psyche, fear

Abstract
This paper explains that Stephen King, who has published hundreds of works which were often made into popular movies, writes what modern society wants to read. The author points out that King's work is significant not because of the genre that he writes in but because of the way he uses that genre to write about real issues and to explore real concerns. The paper relates that the deeper themes show people's desire to understand themselves on a psychological level, recognizing and exploring the good and evil in themselves while ultimately wanting to overcome their own flaws and to choose good over evil.

From the Paper
"This leads to a consideration of the types of issues that Stephen King explores in his work. Collings notes the close links between the themes explored and the concerns associated with current life. Collings suggests that "Carrie" and "Rage" both consider flaws in the education system, "Christine" is an exploration of people's love-hate relationship with cars, while "The Shining", "It" and "Rose Madder" deals with the failure of the American family. King himself also seems to recognize that his work deals with current issues, saying that all horror can be considered as serving as a barometer for the things that currently trouble a society. Certainly, considering the issues present in King's work is like compiling a list of the issues that trouble society."

Tags:carrie, shining, sematary, real, flaws

Abstract
A critical analysis of the themes in 'St. Stephen and King Herod' and T.S. Eliot's 'Journey of the Magi' with a focus on structure, form, language, and imagery. Both poems are centered around the birth of Christ, and the writer describes how this theme is treated and portrayed in each of the poems. In 'St. Stephen,' the birth of Christ seems to be an intensely, commandingly happy event that inspires people, and to this extent, the poem may be an expected response to this event. In contrast, Eliot's poem is much darker in tone and appears to foreshadow Christ's death as well. The paper concludes that 'Journey of the Magi' is probably the more effective of the two, as it presents the birth of the Christ as an unsettling event, and this distortion of expectations renders the poem all the more interesting.

From the Paper
"The first poem, St. Stephen, describes the actions of Stephen, a servant of King Herod, when he sees the star of Bethlehem, signaling Christ's birth. Firstly, in the introductory two stanzas of the poem, Stephen leads a repetitive and possibly boring life serving King Herod; we can see this as Stephen is described as ''a clerk in King Herod's hall'' who ''served him of bread and cloth/ As every king befall''. We are not told anything of Stephen's disposition of life outside of being Herod's servant, so we may deduce that his life revolves around making sure Herod is given everything he wants. This monotony is reflected in the structure of the poem, which is extremely regular in both stanza and line length, to the point that the number of syllables in each line of each stanza are almost identical to each other."

Tags:dramatic irony, foreboding unpleasant conviction madness Bethlehem