Stephen King
We all know who this man is: perhaps the most prolific American author of the 20th century. This is a man who has captivated the world with his imagination, and his done it by appealing to two different audiences: readers and moviegoers. His stories have haunted us to our core, provided us with pictures of purest joy, taught us the pain of deepest sadness, and made us question who we are and what exactly we are doing in this world. And he's done it with style.
Stephen King has penned some of my favorite novels (The Stand, Salem's Lot) and movies (It, Needful Things, Shawshank Redemption). He's also written some books that I just could not finish (Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher) and movies that were just stinkers (The Night Flier). I've read a substantial amount of Stephen King's works--though a substantial amount still remains to be read--and still don't know precisely what to make of him.
I'll never forget reading Salem's Lot and The Stand. I literally could not put those books down. I read the complete and unabridged version of The Stand, which is about 1500 pages long, if I remember correctly. I still managed to read it in about a week. His worlds are at the same time breathtakingly creative because of the strange things that happen there, and yet frighteningly realistic. Sure, we don't believe in demons anymore, and we don't really believe in aliens coming to take us over, or ghosts, or vampires; most people don't even believe in The Devil anymore. And yet Stephen King always finds a way to make us wonder: what if? What if there are one or two Type One Vampires out there, waiting to be invited in? Our ancestors believed in vampires for centuries. What if The Devil is out there, waiting for us to end our "modern civilization" with a superflu? It would be just like the Dark Ages. It's his belief in humanity that I believe is what draws his readers to him. He doesn't dismiss outright our legends, myths, and folk tales. He simply says, "What if they are true? And what would happen if these forces were at work today? What if there is more to our world than our modern "science" tells us?" It's our belief--or hope--that there is more than meets the eye that keeps us drawn to Stephen King.
Just as strong of a draw, however, is King's belief in the ongoing battle between Good and Evil. It's more than just a possessed car, or an evil clown, or the execution of a murderer. It's the ultimate battle. It's the Walkin Dude. It's the Crimson King. And they're after all of us; they're after everything. Stephen King believes that there is a point to our lives that is greater than ourselves; he believes that we are part of a struggle that has been fought since the dawn of time. He believes that our actions matter; he believes that our choices matter, and that is a powerful belief for all of us. We all want to believe that we aren't just passing the time here, and that our short time in this existence is nothing more than a short time existence. We want to believe that we--that all life--is meant for something more, is part of something more, or part of something greater and more noble. We want to know that the choices we make, that how we decide to live, means something on a greater scale. King appeals to that something more in his stories; our choices and battles do make a difference--one way or another--in that fight between darkness and light. We are in charge of our destiny, and that is something we want to be in control of.
Not that King is perfect. Sometimes he waxes too poetic. In Tommyknockers, for instance, I read half of the book--almost 400 pages--and could not BELIEVE I was only halfway done. Like many great writers, they can fall in love with their words, and draw it out too long. As fantastic as The Stand was, there were several times that I would finish a 150 page chapter/block/whatever and think, "My God that was incredibly well written, but was not really necessary to the story at all." Stephen King provided me with an appreciation of Editors for the first time in my life. There are also those who complain that Stephen King is too far out there, and too unbelievable. This is a legitimate complaint; even I have thought that a couple of times. He stretches the limits of our imagination, and sometimes one can stretch too far. Anyone who writes as many stories as Stephen King is going to have some that people just can't get into.
That being said, I still think Stephen King is one of the greatest authors of all time. No matter what style of books you are a fan of, you can find a story to fit your desires among King's impressive array of titles. The man has given us some fantastic stories in his lifetime, and the world will surely miss him when he's gone.
Stephen King has penned some of my favorite novels (The Stand, Salem's Lot) and movies (It, Needful Things, Shawshank Redemption). He's also written some books that I just could not finish (Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher) and movies that were just stinkers (The Night Flier). I've read a substantial amount of Stephen King's works--though a substantial amount still remains to be read--and still don't know precisely what to make of him.
I'll never forget reading Salem's Lot and The Stand. I literally could not put those books down. I read the complete and unabridged version of The Stand, which is about 1500 pages long, if I remember correctly. I still managed to read it in about a week. His worlds are at the same time breathtakingly creative because of the strange things that happen there, and yet frighteningly realistic. Sure, we don't believe in demons anymore, and we don't really believe in aliens coming to take us over, or ghosts, or vampires; most people don't even believe in The Devil anymore. And yet Stephen King always finds a way to make us wonder: what if? What if there are one or two Type One Vampires out there, waiting to be invited in? Our ancestors believed in vampires for centuries. What if The Devil is out there, waiting for us to end our "modern civilization" with a superflu? It would be just like the Dark Ages. It's his belief in humanity that I believe is what draws his readers to him. He doesn't dismiss outright our legends, myths, and folk tales. He simply says, "What if they are true? And what would happen if these forces were at work today? What if there is more to our world than our modern "science" tells us?" It's our belief--or hope--that there is more than meets the eye that keeps us drawn to Stephen King.
Just as strong of a draw, however, is King's belief in the ongoing battle between Good and Evil. It's more than just a possessed car, or an evil clown, or the execution of a murderer. It's the ultimate battle. It's the Walkin Dude. It's the Crimson King. And they're after all of us; they're after everything. Stephen King believes that there is a point to our lives that is greater than ourselves; he believes that we are part of a struggle that has been fought since the dawn of time. He believes that our actions matter; he believes that our choices matter, and that is a powerful belief for all of us. We all want to believe that we aren't just passing the time here, and that our short time in this existence is nothing more than a short time existence. We want to believe that we--that all life--is meant for something more, is part of something more, or part of something greater and more noble. We want to know that the choices we make, that how we decide to live, means something on a greater scale. King appeals to that something more in his stories; our choices and battles do make a difference--one way or another--in that fight between darkness and light. We are in charge of our destiny, and that is something we want to be in control of.
Not that King is perfect. Sometimes he waxes too poetic. In Tommyknockers, for instance, I read half of the book--almost 400 pages--and could not BELIEVE I was only halfway done. Like many great writers, they can fall in love with their words, and draw it out too long. As fantastic as The Stand was, there were several times that I would finish a 150 page chapter/block/whatever and think, "My God that was incredibly well written, but was not really necessary to the story at all." Stephen King provided me with an appreciation of Editors for the first time in my life. There are also those who complain that Stephen King is too far out there, and too unbelievable. This is a legitimate complaint; even I have thought that a couple of times. He stretches the limits of our imagination, and sometimes one can stretch too far. Anyone who writes as many stories as Stephen King is going to have some that people just can't get into.
That being said, I still think Stephen King is one of the greatest authors of all time. No matter what style of books you are a fan of, you can find a story to fit your desires among King's impressive array of titles. The man has given us some fantastic stories in his lifetime, and the world will surely miss him when he's gone.
posted by Michael Pondrom at 2:05 PM
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