Stephen King Essay, Research Paper
Stephen King
Stephen King is a well-known and talented horror/fiction author who has
published over eleven books in the last two decades. His great stories of
horror and fantasy have been enjoyed by kids and adults starting from his first
best-seller, Carrie. King’s wit and style of writing has made him one of the
most popular horror story authors today.
Stephen King’s life has not been an easy one. he was born on September
21, 1947, in Portland Maine(Bleiler, 1038). His father left when he was two and
gave him only a collection of supernatural fiction stories(Bleiler, 1038). By
age twelve, he was submitting short stories into different magazines such as
“The Glass Floor”, in 1967(Beacham, 747). After his graduation from the
University of Maine with a B.A. in English teaching(Bleiler, 1038), King
published many best sellers that won these awards: The British Fantasy
Award(1982), The World Fantasy Award(1982), and the Hugo Award(1985)(Beacham,
748).
Stephen King written many great books throughout his writing career.
Carrie, King’s first best seller, is about a teenager who is ridiculed and
harassed throughout high school(Bleiler, 1031). After she is finally pushed to
the limit, her true side is finally exposed. Cujo, involves a ferocious dog that
starts out so innocent and kind , and ends up a brutal man killer(Bleiler, 1031).
The Shining, takes place in a motel that is haunted(Beacham, 748). Jack
Torrence is a writer who is ridden by guilt and failure(Beacham, 749). After
Torrence, his wife, and his five year old son are snowed in for the week, they
finally realize the evil that the motel actually possesses. In Firestarter, a
little girl possesses the power to start fires with her mind. These powers were
givin to her as a test by the government(Bleiler, 1041). Pet Semetary is about
a man name Louis Creed(Beacham, 754). After his cat and son die, he buries them
in a nearby pet cemetery, which is actually an Indian burial ground. After a
certain amount of time, the once dead become living(Beacham, 753). The Eyes of
the Dragon is a limited book published in 1986-1987(Beacham, 747) , and Thinner
is a story about Billy Halleck, a man cursed “thinner” by a gypsy for hitting
his nephew Thadius Lemke with his car.
King believes that “A story must be paramount, because it defies the
entire work of fiction.” and “Theme, mood, and language are secondary.”
King has written many enjoyable books throughout the years and if he
continues at the rate he is going , will be the most popular horror/fiction
author of kids and adults.
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