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Role Of Stephen King 's Stories

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The Role of Stephen King’s Stories in Modern American Literature Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers of this century. He has written a number of short stories and novels many of which have been turned into movies. One of the reasons that King’s works are popular with readers is due to the fact that his stories give the reader something outside of the formulaic formula that many books are inclined to follow or endings that are predictable and derivative. King also made his foray into horror in the 1970’s when the genre was kind of lackluster. King offered the reader something different in that he did not shy away from the gore, gratuitous violence or cheap shocks. One of the reasons that King’s works have so much power when it comes to the imagination is because he himself is a horror aficionado, who writes according to his worldview. Readers can also see the influence that Classic literature has had on the works of King. Just as the works of the Ancient Greeks and later Shakespeare focused on certain themes, such as man versus nature, good versus evil or love versus hate, so do the works of King. However, in his works King tends to twist the traditional plot of Shakespeare and the Classic by having his characters go from hero to villain or showing the loss of man’s honor or humanity in the wake of horror. One of the things seen often times in his writing is the alienation of both the individual and of society. Publication of “Mile 81” “Mile 81” was

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