Author Study: Stephen King Curated by Eric Zhang '18: Criticism and Analysis

• The Case for Stephen King as Literature – PopMatters
  • Despite the definite popularity of Stephen King's writings, their status as high art is a hotly debated topic. Can King's writings be considered 'literature'?
• What Stephen King Isn't – The New Yorker
  • King's work is often categorized only as horror. Do all (if any) of his works deserve this classification? This article provides analysis about Stephen King's writing, and his generic influences.
• Standing Up With the King: A Critical Look at Stephen King's Epic – University of South Florida
  • In this serious analysis of The Stand, a scholar aims to prove whether or not Stephen King's works bear serious literary merit.
• Con Games: Why Stephen King Can't Write – Huffington Post
  • An analysis of Stephen King's diction and how his emphasis on plot may be a hindrance to his ability as a writer.
• Stephen King Essay - King, Stephen (Vol. 55) – ENotes
  • An introduction of King as a writer. Introduces his works, critical reception and gives excerpts of criticisms of his work.

Death and Fear – These two are the bread and butter of any horror writer. Every one of King's works involves these themes in one way or another, although some feature fear and death more than others. For example, death plays a relatively small role in The Shining (it is seldom mentioned or discussed explicitly, and does not come into play until the climax of the story), while fear is omnipresent in all parts of the book. 

Memory – Memory is an oft-recurring theme in King's novels. The past of each characters adds depth and meaning. Jack Torrance in The Shining is tormented by the faults and regrets of his own personal past throughout the novel, which help drive on his descent into madness. In It, the repressed memories of the seven protagonists serve as the driving force behind the novel's plot – as each character recalls more about his troubled childhood, he is increasingly driven to defeat the demon that caused his trauma.

Childhood – King's novels tend to place childhood and adolescence in high regard, or at least give it a great deal of attention. The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Carrie and The Stand all involve child protagonists who are unnaturally, perhaps supernaturally, gifted. The power of childhood innocence is often explored in Stephen King's writing, but more often, King tends to explore childhood itself. It, The Body, Rage and others bring childhood and adolescence into the spotlight.