Why does Stephen King have such a big name in the horror genre of writing? Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine, in 1947. Stephan is the second-born son of his parents, Donald and Nellie Ruth Phillipsbary King, and has an older brother, David King. He was just a toddler when his parents split up, leaving their two kids for his mom to take care of. Stephen spent his childhood in a couple of places, like Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Stratford, Connecticut, where he had family. Finally, he and his family settled down when his mom brought them back to Durham when he was 11. During his time in Durham, Stephan went to a grammar school, then Lisbon High School until he graduated in 1966.
After high school, Stephan went to the University of Maine at Orono, where he wrote a weekly column for the school’s newspaper called THE MAINE CAMPUS. Later, he graduated with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach at the high school level. Before Stephan graduated from college, he had his first short story sale, “The Glass Floor” in 1967, sold to Startling Mystery Stories. Four years later, Stephan began teaching at Hampton Academy, a public high school for English. Later that fall, Stephan married Tabitha Spruce in January 1967. They end up having three children together, Naomi Rachel, Joe Hill, and Owen Phillip, who, when they grew up, gave their parents four grandchildren. During the spring of 1973, Stephan King’s novel “Carrie” was published by Doubleday & Co., which made it possible for Stephen to leave his past profession as a teacher and write full-time. One year later, they left Maine to go to Boulder, Colorado, where they lived for a little less than a year. During his time in Boulder, Colorado, he found the inspiration to write his next novel, “The Shining”.
The Shining made Stephen a household name, often being called his peak in work. The Shining has made itself a big spot for talk surrounding its contents and how often new adaptations and movies are being made from it. The Shining is more of a psychological thriller than a horror, having horror elements thrown into it. The story follows Jack’s family, which includes Wendy, his wife, and his son Danny, as they go to the haunted and very ominous hotel, located along an isolated mountain range in Colorado. In the past, Jack struggled with being an alcoholic and is still currently recovering by pursuing his writing. Later, Danny (Jack’s son) gets “The Shining,” which gives him terrifying insight into all the dark horrors of the hotel’s history. The hotel’s dark aura starts weighing on Jack, making him act out and lash out in violent ways towards his wife and son. Now, you’ll have to read the book to know the rest.
You may be wondering, why put yourself through watching a horror movie? Well, science shows that there is a demand for “counterhedonic consumption”. This is where someone wants to experience something that will make them feel in a negative way; these experiences have surged in popularity to become one of the most profitable forms of entertainment. Reading a book or watching a scary movie, in which its plot and storyline do not usually happen in real life, exposes oneself to horror entertainment in a safe way, letting you explore the dark side of humanity.
Exposing yourself to terrifying stories can be physically and mentally stimulating to a person, giving them a rise in emotions that can be positive, like joy or excitement, as well as negative ones like anxiety or fear. Our brains and bodies tend to feel the most positive emotions when we experience the most negative ones. In other words, Stephen King’s stories can transport people into another world where they can explore things without getting hurt or having to worry about consequences.
