Stephen King:
American Author of Contemporary Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
Introduction
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and suspense who was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947. He has sold more than 350 million copies of his books. Many of his books have been adapted into films, TV movies, and comic books. King has published 50 novels, five nonfiction books, and two hundred short stories. He has received many awards to recognize his amazing works. King is married to Tabitha King and have three children: Naomi King, Joe King, and Owen King. Stephen King is an American author well known for his wide-ranging repertory of genres and a very unique writing style that makes him one of the most popular and relevant contemporary writers.
Early Life
King’s parents were Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He Attended Durham Elementary School and graduated from Lisbon Falls High School, Maine. In 1970, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maine. He showed an early interest in horror readings and began to write for fun while still in school. Collins (1988) reported that “the discovery of a collection of paperback books his father had left behind stimulated King’s interest in science fiction and adventure.” King worked even more seriously on his own writing, Collins (1988) observes, “especially after finding out that his father had unsuccessfully submitted horror stories to some magazines” (p. 8). King was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the student senate. Justin Brooks (2008) notes that after leaving the university he worked as a teacher at Hampdem Academy in Maine and wrote short stories for magazines. Collins ...
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... and sustain careers of established freelance artists, writers, and others members of the arts communities who have suffered disabilities, illnesses, accidents, or personal catastrophes.
Conclusion
Stephen King is an American writer who has succeed in American and world literatures with a vast repertory of genres such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, and drama. His writing career is as wonderful as his political activism. King is a man who stands up for what he believes is fair and just, and he also provides economic support to those in need in his community and around the country through his foundation. Stephen King is a great writer and a righteous man. He is a good example to follow because his astonishing contribution to the American letters, as well as his militant involvement in social issues, lead the journey in making the world a better place for all.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” a quote that sums up humanity’s unchanged love for horror movies. Over the years, as millions of people have watched horror movies the graphics, special effects, and sounds have changed for the better. While scenes have intensified yet remained the same someone gets stabbed, butchered or killed violently. It’s hard to imagine how anyone in their right mind could choose to see such violent acts. Which is the reason why Stephen Kings say’s “I think we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better- and maybe not all that much better after all” (405). That sentence provides us with his twisted example of “Why we crave Horror Movies” claiming it’s mainly a matter of our mental state. King includes examples of reasons people continue to go, he says it’s to have fun, to dare the nightmare, and to re-establish our sense of normalcy. Kings arguments within this essay are strong enough to prove his thesis making this a well written essay. He easily convinces normal people that they are mentally ill, with his use of analogy’s, comparisons, and logos. Stephen King’s use of practical wisdom leads his audience to believe that without horror films, humans are all emotional ticking time bombs waiting to explode.
What many people don’t know about King is his how he was as a person, not a writer. People may think that he is a very violent and mysterious person, but Stephen King is not like that at all, said an ex-student of Kings. Arthur Norton said in an interview with King, “There is this genial childlike quality about King… He is an average guy.” King says in the same interview, “I am a very credulous person. I will believe what I am told.”
Stephen King is one of the most influential authors of today. His award-winning novels and short stories are known world-wide. His many awards and nominations have created a space for him in the literary world. King is a true “Horror King”, for his books, turned movies, have scared millions worldwide. Stephen King has helped bring America to prominence through his many books, essays, and short stories.
Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero to many. He is a figure of importance because of his involvement in the civil rights, his power of persuasion, and his work toward equality. Marshall Frady is the author of Martin Luther King, Jr.- A Life, a biography about MLK. Frady was a TV and magazine writer, who spent most of his time with King in the 1960’s. Frady covered all the marches, speeches, and trials that accompanied the early years of the civil rights movement (Viking). He was an American journalist and author, mostly known for his work on the African American civil rights movement in the America South (Viking).
When he was fifteen years old his mother died from appendicitis. From fifteen years of age to his college years he lived in an all-white neighborhood. From 1914-1917, he shifted from many colleges and academic courses of study as well as he changed his cultural identity growing up. He studied physical education, agriculture, and literature at a total of six colleges and universities from Wisconsin to New York. Although he never completed a degree, his educational pursuits laid the foundation for his writing career. He had the knowledge of philosophy and psychology. He attempted to write when he was a youth, but he made a choice to pursue a literary career in 1919. After he published Cane he became part of New York literary circles. He objected both rivalries that prevailed in the fraternity of writers and to attempts to promote him as a black writer (Clay...
Stephen King was born 9-21-47 in Portland, Maine. King has black hair that is thick, he has blue eyes and wears glasses. Stephen’s parents are Donald and Nellie Pillsbury King, and they split up when King was very young. King also has one brother who is older than him named David. During the time he was little, Stephen was into scary things from the start and he had always watch and listen to scary stories, which later inspire him to create his own. King then grew up and attended school at the University of Maine in Orono.
Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
sample, but it also appeals to population and emotion. To further explain why we crave
Stephen King was born in Maine in 1947. His father abandoned him when he was 2 years old. His mother and brother was all he ever knew. Him and his brother were raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana where his father lived at the time. He was also raised in Connecticut too. His mother decided to move them back to Maine for their own good. There he got a job at Kitchens of Pineland. A kitchen of Pineland was by a mentally challenged hospital. He went to a Durham grammar school then attended Libson High School. In 1966, He graduated. At University of Maine of Orana, he was a sophomore that wrote for The Maine Campus, the school’s newspaper. He became a member of the Student Senate in Student politician. He also attended an Anti-war movement. In 1970, he graduated. His examination was a 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums. From his examinations, he got a diploma to be a full time teacher.
and his father, Donald King. Today, Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha King, are living
King owes his success to his ability to take what he says are “real fears” (The Stephen King Story, 47) and turn them into a horror story. When he says “real fears” they are things we have all thought of such as a monster under the bed or even a child kidnapping and he is making them a reality in his story. King looks at “horror fiction...as a metaphor” (46) for everything that goes wrong in our lives. His mind and writing seems to dwell in the depths of the American people’s fears and nightmares and this is what causes his writing to reach so many people and cause the terror he writes about to be instilled in his reader.
We all have cravings, be it for snacks or sweets, there is always something we desire. We crave horror in the same way. In Stephen King’s essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he argues that people need to watch horror films in order to release the negative emotions within us. King believes that people feel enjoyment while watching others be terrorized or killed in horror movies. King’s argument has elements that are both agreeable and disagreeable. On one hand he is acceptable when claiming we like the thrill and excitement that comes from watching horror movies; however, his views regarding that the fun comes from seeing others suffer cannot be agreed with because the human condition is not as immoral as he claims it to be.
We crave horror movies simply for “the fun of it” in agreeing with Stephen King Why We Crave Horror movies. King gave multiple examples in his story as to why we crave horror movies and I can agree with just about each and every one of them. After watching a few horror movies for yourself, you will understand why it is easy to agree with King. If you have watched movies such as the 2004 movie Dawn of the Dead, The Purge, or The Conjuring you will also be able to relate to Chuck Klosterman My Zombie, Myself “Zombies are just so easy to kill.” Klostermans theory of zombies are extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult yet exciting problem of zombies in the real world. Klosterman’s argument that the repetition of modern life is
Stephen King wrote a very brief essay titled "Why we Crave Horror Movies", in which he explained some of the reasons that people choose to go to horror movies to be entertained. In his essay, King goes on to explain that we as a people need horror movies as a sort of release; to feed the darker elements within all of us without having to sacrifice our humanity (also, civility). King does this by comparing people based on their levels of sanity whereas some societal "eccentricities" are completely acceptable, while some will get you thrown right into the loony bin. It’s summed up pretty well in this quote:
For such a successful writer, Stephen King really had no secret to his writing style. King has credited free writing for his best ideas. He also has a very down to earth way of looking at his fame. Stephen King would read for four hours, and then he would write for four hours or until he reached 2,000 words. In a Time magazine interview, King called this his nine to five approach and that he, “worked until beer o’ clock.” When asked where his ideas came from, King would often reply, “I have the heart of a small boy. . . And I keep it in a jar on my desk.” Also, he does not have just one particular way of writing horror, and what often sets off the terror in his readers most was the vast amount of detail portrayed.