A word on Stephen King
I have a sort of love/hate relationship with this guy’s work. I’ve read several of his books—not enough to prove genuine fanaticism, but enough to consider myself a Constant Reader. I think reading Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption in a single sitting last night earns me that much at least.
I’ve received a fair share of frowns from people when I say that I like Stephen King. That’s probably because all they remember is the ghosts and the claws, and it’s usually evident that they’ve avoided him like they do the articles of devil worship. They don’t know that a few of his stories have nothing to do with horror at all.
There are a few of his books that I’ve started and had to put down. Call me a wimp, call me oversensitive, whatever—I know what I like and I know what I can take. 400 pages into The Stand, and things just got too dark for me.
However, I’ve found some of his other works incredibly enjoyable. Some even strikingly poignant. The Long Walk, for instance, though intensely brutal in a few spots, accurately captures the evils of adolescence throughout its narrative.
Plus, there’s a quality to his writing that very few authors reach. It’s almost lyrical. During the two years I spent as an English major—before things drastically shifted gears to Bible and theology—my literature profs made a great fuss over the difference between literature fiction and genre fiction. Personally, I don’t see why you can’t blend the two, but such topics among some scholars are considered almost carnal. I understand the challenge, and if anyone has ever achieved any modest success in doing so, it’d be Stephen King.
That’s why I read him. As an aspiring author, I feel if I am to write well then I should read writers who write well. This they also taught me in school. I’m a fan of good literature as well (though, admittedly, I still haven’t wrangled my way through all of Thoreau's Walden yet), and that blend I mentioned is something I’d like to strike with my own writing.
I’ve received a fair share of frowns from people when I say that I like Stephen King. That’s probably because all they remember is the ghosts and the claws, and it’s usually evident that they’ve avoided him like they do the articles of devil worship. They don’t know that a few of his stories have nothing to do with horror at all.
There are a few of his books that I’ve started and had to put down. Call me a wimp, call me oversensitive, whatever—I know what I like and I know what I can take. 400 pages into The Stand, and things just got too dark for me.
However, I’ve found some of his other works incredibly enjoyable. Some even strikingly poignant. The Long Walk, for instance, though intensely brutal in a few spots, accurately captures the evils of adolescence throughout its narrative.
Plus, there’s a quality to his writing that very few authors reach. It’s almost lyrical. During the two years I spent as an English major—before things drastically shifted gears to Bible and theology—my literature profs made a great fuss over the difference between literature fiction and genre fiction. Personally, I don’t see why you can’t blend the two, but such topics among some scholars are considered almost carnal. I understand the challenge, and if anyone has ever achieved any modest success in doing so, it’d be Stephen King.
That’s why I read him. As an aspiring author, I feel if I am to write well then I should read writers who write well. This they also taught me in school. I’m a fan of good literature as well (though, admittedly, I still haven’t wrangled my way through all of Thoreau's Walden yet), and that blend I mentioned is something I’d like to strike with my own writing.
posted by TAJ at
1:02 PM
