Theorizing Stephen King

Readers of all stripes will find something to appreciate in this collection, which illuminates how King’s horror literature as a media form has shifted in relation to cultural understandings over time. Many chapters touch upon how surrounding texts, such as film/TV adaptations, have played into these mediations throughout King’s storied career. For the first-time reader of King, this volume offers a doorway into his works: an array of exciting critical frameworks with which to make sense of King’s fictional universe. For literary critics, this volume argues that King’s corpus remains a site for robust intellectual inquiry. And for all of us, the book provides an occasion—one that is long overdue—to rethink King’s relationship to critical theory as well as his legacy as a major American author. While it may prove impossible to reconcile King and the academy, we might nonetheless explore the evolution of their inescapable bond in hopes of negotiating a greater understanding between them.

"The manuscript absolutely offers new insights and concepts. The variety of authors, with their individual focuses, examine King through innovative and thought-provoking lenses."
- Bev Vincent, author of Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences

"This informative volume on theorizing Stephen King is an important addition to the study of King’s fiction and should most definitely be a required text for any new (or seasoned) King scholar. Blouin masterful start to the volume with “Stephen King does not much care for English Professors” immediately calls out the elephant in the room that all King scholars know, and then carefully constructs a framework of why we, as King scholars, should care. From long-time King scholar Tony Magistrale’s in-depth analysis of theorizing King through the years (an absolute must read for everyone!), to Patrick McAleer’s analysis of what I consider the “lost” King novels that are worthy of, but never received the amount of scholarly attention as King’s more popular works, to Douglas Cowan’s focus on King’s religious themes, to Jeffrey Weinstock’s focus on King’s writers, this book is an important and needed addition to the currently available scholarship on Stephen King."
- Mary Finley, Vermont State University

Michael J. Blouin, PhD is a professor of English and Humanities at Milligan University. His recent publications include Democracy and the American Gothic (2024), Stephen King and American Politics(2021) and Stephen King and American History (2020). Blouin’s primary research interests are horror, popular culture, and critical theory.

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