My Stephen King Problem

[jochen stremmel]

"Personally, I like my characters complicated and ambiguous."

In my recollection, the character in Roadwork is both.

J

2012/7/11  <kelber at mindspring.com>:
> The only Stephen King I've read is (at the urging of a co-worker once, who also talked me into reading V.C. Andrews's Flowers in the Attic) his novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption which was made into the incredibly sappy guy-weeper, The Shawshank Redemption.  The Shawshank Redemption is rated on various lists as one of the greatest movies ever made (though the same basic plot with female characters would be ghettoized on women's cable channels).  Both the novella and the flick make a big point of telling us that the main character is innocent.  Presumably, the story wouldn't be such a hit if this guy had actually killed his wife.  So I'm guessing that it's a prime example of King's good-guy/bad-guy mindset.  It appeals to people who like their lit/flicks clear and simple and archetypical.  Personally, I like my characters complicated and ambiguous.
>
> I was looking for a good essay on Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining, but couldn't find anything that was really well written and probing.  Dave? What I've always been given to understand was that Kubrick axed (ha ha) the obvious supernatural elements in favor of the more psychological.  But this may or may not be true.  Anyone?
>
> Laura
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>>Sent: Jul 11, 2012 8:23 AM
>>To: Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>, pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>Subject: Re: My Stephen King Problem
>>
>>My problem:
>>I would rather read Stephen King, whom I cannot read, than this guy any day.
>>
>>Horror as the subtext of life in these United States is why one might read him. (As well as for his
>>presentation of small town, mostly Maine, life.)
>>
>>In another of those critical compendia that Bloom put his name to--he expresses his massive distaste in his intro---
>>it is universal fears, myths involving death, that King has tapped into. Pet Semetary. (Doesn't the writer here
>>wilfully miss King's meaning when King says it won't be published. King knew ANY publisher would publish
>>anything he wrote; he meant he was too afraid to publish it.)
>>
>>A better reader than this guy, Michael Wood, devoted a whole book to King. Tapping into US,
>>with mythic power (at times). Although I think he finds him ultimately not good enough.(just
>>browsed in the book once)
>>
>>But, c'mon. "Carrie: is a powerful....story? Myth of adolescence, female and therefore rare?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>>To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>Cc:
>>Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 10:07 PM
>>Subject: My Stephen King Problem
>>
>>http://www.salon.com/2012/07/06/my_stephen_king_problem_salpart/
>>
>