Thursday I had a shock of recognition while teaching Stephen King’s IT in my American Fantasy class yesterday. The approach to life that saves the day for the protagonist is the approach that got my eldest son killed 16 years ago. Yet I don’t think King is wrong. In fact, I was comforted once I saw the […]
Tag Archives: Stephen King
Why We Fear Clowns
The recent outbreak of criminal clowns can be explained by combining Freud’s essay on the uncanny and Stephen King’s IT.
King’s Clown Rampaged in Orlando
Perhaps more than any other American writer, Stephen King understands such incidents as the Orlando massacre. The famous horror writer dreams America’s nightmares and appears prescient when they come true.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Beowulf, Grendel, gun violence, It, John Milton, mass murder, Omar Mateen, Orlando killings, Paradise Lost Comments closed
British and American Fantasy Contrasted
An “Atlantic” article argues that British fantasy is richer than American fantasy. I agree that they are different and that there are interesting reasons for those differences–but that American fantasy is vibrant as well.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged C. S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, Edgar Allan Poe, fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien, Kenneth Grahame, Lord of the Rings, Nathaniel Hawthorne, wind in the willows Comments closed
Stephen King & the War for America’s Soul
In “The Stand,” Stephen King sees the dark and the light fighting for control of America’s soul. His book had the Vietnam War in mind but it is also applicable to future policy in the Middle East.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 9-11, Iraq War, Nathaniel Hawthorne, neoconservativism, Stand, Vietnam War, war, Young Goodman Brown Comments closed
A Fantasy about U.S. Thirst for War
Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” understands the thirst of those Americans that want to go to war with Iran.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged American Gods, fantasy, Iran, Iraq War, It, Neil Gaiman, neoconservatives, nuclear negotiations, road novel, violence, war Comments closed
When American Fantasies Are Dangerous
The denial of reality that has taken over certain segments of the GOP is well described by Neil Gaiman in “American Gods.” America has a long tradition of such fantasizing.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged American fantasy literature, American Gods, climate change, GOP budget, It, L. Frank Baum, Neil Gaiman, politics, Wizard of Oz Comments closed
King Looks to Children for Hope
Despite the horrors he describes, Stephen King’s vision is ultimately a hopeful one. The key, as he sees it, is plugging into childhood hopes and imagination.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Childhood, Intimations of Immortality, It, William Wordsworth Comments closed
King’s Vision of Environmental Devastation
Stephen King, drawing on William Carlos Williams’ “Paterson,” warns about the destructiveness brought on by America’s acquisitive side.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Environment, fossil fuels, It, Keystone pipeline, oil industry, Paterson, Williams Carlos Williams Comments closed
