Sharon A. Russell - Stephen King: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers)

Cover

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STEPHEN KING

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Recent Titles in Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers

Kathleen Gregory Klein, Series Editor

Mary Higgins Clark: A Critical Companion

Linda C. Pelzer

Michael Crichton: A Critical Companion

Elizabeth A. Trembley

V. C. Andrews: A Critical Companion

E. D. Huntley

Anne McCaffrey: A Critical Companion

Robin Roberts

Pat Conroy: A Critical Companion

Landon C. Burns

John Saul: A Critical Companion

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Gina Macdonald

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A Critical Companion

Sharon A. Russell

CRITICAL COMPANIONS TO POPULAR CONTEMPORARY WRITERS

Kathleen Gregory Klein, Series Editor

Greenwood Press

Westport, ConnecticutLondon

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Russell, Sharon A.
Stephen King : a critical companion / Sharon A. Russell.
p. cm.(Critical companions to popular contemporary
writers, ISSN 10824979)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0313294178 (alk. paper)
1. King, Stephen, 1947 Criticism and interpretation.
2. Horror tales, AmericanHistory and criticism. I. Title.
II. Series.
PS3561.I483Z865 1996
813'.54dc20 9550460

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 1996 by Sharon A. Russell

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 9550460

ISBN: 0-313-29417-8
ISSN: 10824979

First published in 1996

Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881

An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.481984).

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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For my sister Judith, who shares my love of the horror genre. She has fought many monsters in her life.

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Mary Catherine Byrd, English Teacher, East Montgomery High School, Biscoe, North Carolina

Dr. Dana McDougald, Library Media Specialist, Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, Georgia

Patricia Naismith, Library Media Specialist, Springfield High School, Springfield, Pennsylvania

Italia Negroni, Head, Library Media Technology Department, Stamford High School, Stamford, Connecticut

Rudy Rocamontes, Jr., English Teacher, Southwest High School, San Antonio, Texas

Alice F. Stern, Young Adults Librarian, Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts

Marcia Welsh, Assistant Director, Guilford Free Library, Guilford, Connecticut

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The authors who appear in the series Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers are all best-selling writers. They do not have only one successful novel, but a string of them. Fans, critics, and specialist readers eagerly anticipate their next book. For some, high cash advances and breakthrough sales figures are automatic; movie deals often follow. Some writers become household names, recognized by almost everyone.

But novels are read one by one. Each reader chooses to start and, more importantly, to finish a book because of what she or he finds there. The real test of a novel is in the satisfaction its readers experience. This series acknowledges the extraordinary involvement of readers and writers in creating a best-seller.

The authors included in this series were chosen by an Advisory Board composed of high school English teachers and high school and public librarians. They ranked a list of best-selling writers according to their popularity among different groups of readers. Writers in the top-ranked group who had not received book-length, academic literary analysis (or none in at least the past ten years) were chosen for the series. Because of this selection method, Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers meets a need that is not addressed elsewhere.

The volumes in the series are written by scholars with particular ex

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pertise in analyzing popular fiction. These specialists add an academic focus to the popular success that the best-selling writers already enjoy.

The series is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers. The general reading public will find explanations for the appeal of these well-known writers. Fans will find biographical and fictional questions answered. Students will find literary analysis, discussions of fictional genres, carefully organized introductions to new ways of reading the novels, and bibliographies for additional research. Students will also be able to apply what they have learned from this book to their readings of future novels by these best-selling writers.