A Critical Study of Stephen King and Horror Fiction

Abstract

This present research undertakes the extensive study of horror fiction genre with reference to the select novels of one of the finest and celebrated horror fiction writers of all time, Stephen King. This paper is a substantial assessment of the select horror fiction of King. The research problem revolves extensively around the word fear. Stephen King has conjured up the images of most horrific creatures, monsters, places, and stories, and some of the most enduring villains in fiction. These unimaginable evil beings test the limits of the protagonist. Some of these villains have gone to the extent of becoming as famous (or infamous) as the writer himself. Many of Stephen King villains are monsters of the human variety such as serial killers, power hungry despots, nihilists, etc. His most memorable and monumental characters are the supernatural ones who use their dark powers to twist the orderly world around them into a special place of chaos and pain. It has been assumed that the horror elements in the fiction of Stephen King are the result of his strategic use of supernaturalist and non-supernaturalist elements. The techniques that he uses to evoke horror in reader have been treated as a site for research attention by the researcher.