The Linguistics of Stephen King: Layered Language and Meaning in the Fiction - Paperback

by James Arthur Anderson (Author)

Stephen King, "America's Favorite Boogeyman," has sold over 350 million copies of his books, becoming in effect the face of horror fiction. His influence on popular culture has drawn both strong praise and harsh criticism from reviewers and scholars alike. While his popularity cannot be overstated, his work has received relatively little critical attention from the academic world.

Examining King's fiction using modern literary theory, this study reveals the unexpected complexity of 22 short stories and novels, from Carrie to End of Watch. The author finds King using fantasy and horror to expose truths about reality and the human condition.

Author Biography

James Arthur Anderson is a professor emeritus at Johnson & Wales University, where he taught writing, literature, and science fiction until his retirement in 2021. He has published book-length critical studies on H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, and received The Rocky Wood Memorial Scholarship for Nonfiction from the Horror Writers Association in 2016.