[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/lit/ - Literature

View post   
File: 42 KB, 471x599, 471px-Stephen_King,_Comicon.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3993386 No.3993386 [Reply] [Original]

Do you respect him as an author? Have you read any of his books? What did you think them?

>> No.3993390

>>3993386
I've not read his work, but his quotes are on nearly every book I have next to me at the moment so I've been thinking of checking out one of the dark tower books or something

>> No.3993396

I've read The Green Mile, Carrie, and the Shawshank Redemption novella and was thoroughly entertained by all of the them. I personally think he is a more talented writer than people make him out to be. I think his immense popularity has lead some to the conclusion that his writing his very easily digestible to the masses which is almost never thought of as a good trait in the literary world.

>> No.3993404

It also doesn't help that many of his books are made into substandard films with the exception of The Shining, Carrie, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Misery.

>> No.3993407

>>3993396
>masses which is almost never thought of as a good trait in the literary world.
and I wish this wasn't the case. this is part of the elitism that continues the "books suck" mentality among a lot of younger people and older people who don't like reading either. There's this idea that if you're enjoying your reading you're not reading "good" stuff

>> No.3993410

>>3993404
>exception of The Shining, Carrie, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Misery.
Those are 5 pretty darn good movies. I'll take the shit ones to get those ones.

That said King has quite the unique taste in films. Glad he isn't a director.

>> No.3993409

>>3993404
Carrie kind of sucked, too.

>> No.3993411

>>3993409
Which one? Dohohohoho!

>> No.3993413

I am a pretty big fan of King's work. The only thing he does i can easily criticize is he tends to go overboard on length sometimes. I like world building as much as the next guy but sometimes its too much.

>> No.3993414

>>3993404
You're forgetting "It (part 1)"

>> No.3993426

>>3993407
Yeah this is indeed a strange phenomenon. There is purpose to reading other than being challenged intellectually. Which is not to say that King is not an intellectual writer. He's just not incredibly in-your-face about his intellect. In my experiences with him, he naturally weaves thought provoking themes into entertaining and enjoyable stories instead of going on long winded rants a la Notes from Underground. Just an example, not comparing King and Dostoevsky.

>> No.3993431

>>3993410
He didn't like Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining which many view as a masterpiece. Kubrick did change it quite heavily which may be the reason why.

>> No.3993435

some great works but a lot of mediocre stuff as well
the guys written like 700 books at 680 of them just seem unneeded to me

>> No.3993436

>>3993435
I haven't read all of his books but based on reviews, he did have a number of clunkers. But he did also write some of the most acclaimed modern horror novels. And the guy is still going.

>> No.3993443

>>3993426
Exactly, I think he does a good job walking the line where if you are looking for something that's entertaining, you find it, if you are looking for something a little more, it's there too.

>>3993431
Not only that, he does a list every year, I think for entertainment weekly, of his favorite films and every year they are so fucking weird

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20333841,00.html

>Last House on the Left Number 2?
>Taking of Pelham?
>Law Abiding Citizen?

>> No.3993450

>>3993443
l have a feeling he didn't see too many movies that year. I actually rather enjoyed Last House on the Left. This was years ago so I'm not sure if I would think the same of it now.

>No Inglourious Basterds

For shame!

>> No.3993451

Has anyone read any of The Dark Tower books? If so, would you recommend?

>> No.3993452

I have read almost all of his work. I am a great fan of his and I have tremendous respect for him as an author.

As two others pointed out, many of King's novels do have intellectual themes that play inside the plot of the novel. Other than that his characterization is amazing. His narrative is gripping and he has produced lots of thoughtful works as well.

People dislike him because he is too digestible and easy to read. But actually he is a great writer.

>> No.3993459

>>3993452
Agree on all accounts. Do you have a personal favorite?

>> No.3993469

>>3993451
Start from the beginning.

>> No.3993495

>>3993451
The Dark Tower is my favorite book series of all time. Not a lot of depth behind the story, but an amazing story, if you're into the kind of thing that it explores. The tone changes pretty massively as the books go on, so be warned for that, and stick through it.

>> No.3993500

>>>/b/

>> No.3993540

>>3993459
The Dark Tower series
I'm a girl, by the way.

>> No.3993548
File: 251 KB, 816x757, 2012-05-14.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3993548

>>3993540
M'lady

On a real note, Are they worth getting into? I've been dancing around them for a few years, I don't know much about them really, or even the basic story. Plus I've read that the later ones kind of suck and only the first one is really that good.

>> No.3993560

>>3993451
At the very least, read The Gunslinger.>>3993495
is right in that the other books have a very different feel that you might not like as much (or you'll love them, whatever,) but I can guarantee you'll like the first.

>> No.3993563

>>3993540
Gretchen?

>> No.3993569

>>3993540
>I'm a girl, by the way.
It's "ima grill btw ;))", get it right.

>> No.3993570

>>3993569
>muh epic meme
kill yourself

>> No.3993604 [DELETED] 

>>3993548
A lot of people tend to think that way, but I think it tends to be because a lot of people just, as personal taste dislike the way his writing style changed after his accident. REAL SPOILERS: It's addressed pretty well in the books, i feel. And I personally really like the exploration of fiction vs. reality he gets into in the last three books.

>> No.3993620

I've read six out of the eight Dark Tower books (up to Wind through the Keyhole), the Stand, 'Salem's Lot, Cell, Pet Sematary, Insomnia, and a few of his collected short fiction.

I definitely respect him as a writer, especially for his short stories and stand-alone novels ('Salem's Lot and Sematary really are fantastic). I've enjoyed the DT too but hear they start to meander a bit after Wolves of the Calla.

>> No.3993621

>>3993548
A lot of people tend to think that way, but I think it tends to be because a lot of people just, as personal taste dislike the way his writing style changed after his accident. REAL SPOILERS: It's addressed pretty well in the books, I feel. And I personally really like the exploration of fiction vs. reality he gets into in the last three books.

>> No.3993680

>>3993570
>kill yourself
Go back to /b/, babby.

>> No.3993694
File: 31 KB, 395x387, 1355095908944.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3993694

I read It in like 6th grade, #spooked the hell out of me
I didn't like how much foul language it used, I'm hoping that's not a trait that most of his books carry

>> No.3993735

I am the guy you replied to.

My personal favorite will always be The Stand. Then The Talisman and the Dark Tower series.

>> No.3993749

Funny thing, 'cause I wanted to borrow something wrote by King and start reading. I heard that all his books are somehow related, so which one do you reccomend me to read first? :)

>> No.3993989

>>3993749
A lot of themes overlap in his books but I would definitely not call his whole bibliography related.

>> No.3994003 [DELETED] 

>>3993680
>>3993749
>:)
Back to /pol/ you go. Not fooling us.

>> No.3994009

>>3993386
I respect the fact that he recognizes himself as just a writer, not the next 'literary event.'

When I found that out I instantly liked him. He's just a guy with a knack for writing scary stuff, and prolifically. I don't like when plebs call him an amazing author though.

>> No.3994036

>>3993386
He weaves a masterful tale like non-other, and if all of his books ended 3/4 of the way through without an ending, he would be noted as probably one of if not the best authors in the entire world.

His problem entirely lies in the endings. He builds these epic tales but the always wind down instead of finish in some amazing way.

Cell is arguably the best post-apocalyptic type book (on par with The Stand, imo) I've ever read until the ending, which was probably among the worst I've ever read.

I honestly think his short stories are far and above his greatest works, and that's saying something. 4 past midnight / skeleton crew / everything's eventual all have some of my favorite stories. Anyone who likes King or any type of scary story should definitely check out his short story collections.

>> No.3994045

>>3994009
Hi there!

You seem to have made a bit of a mistake in your post. Luckily, the users of 4chan are always willing to help you clear this problem right up! You appear to have used a tripcode when posting, but your identity has nothing at all to do with the conversation! Whoops! You should always remember to stop using your tripcode when the thread it was used for is gone, unless another one is started! Posting with a tripcode when it isn't necessary is poor form. You should always try to post anonymously, unless your identity is absolutely vital to the post that you're making!

Now, there's no need to thank me - I'm just doing my bit to help you get used to the anonymous image-board culture!

>> No.3994060

>>3994045
Off-topic shitposting

It's people like you who destroy internet forums

Now if only everyone had the decency to post under a name, making them responsible for their posts...

Board quality would surely be improved

>> No.3994371

>>3994036
I actually liked Cell's ending.

>> No.3995470

I read the Stand first from him because I wanted something postapocalyptic and huge.
Actually I think first I read the Gunslinger, but it was a pretty poor translation and I should read it in English again.

Then I read Under the Dome, didn't enjoy it for the most part, but THEN, I read Night Shift, and I see why he's so popular and want to read more from him.

He mostly draws you with interesting and original premises, the quality can be hit or miss, he definitely has great ideeas, but Jerusalem's Lot is really good, as are many others from Night Shift. He admits that he's a situation writer, he thinks of a situation and then creates the story around it.

I feel that he always has a quick escape by throwing in something fantastical in his stories as resolution, but I've yet to read just pure fiction.

About Writing is also a very good book from him, even if you're not interested in writing like I am it's a good autobiography.

>>3994036
I'll definitely check out Cell

>>3994060
can't handle the banter, attention whore?

>> No.3995473

>>3995470
what I mean to say is you can expect something supernatural to just happen in any of his stories since most are in the same universe, I would have enjoyed the stand more if the supernatural elements were limited to the dreams that everyone received which he even explained properly and you could accept

>> No.3995474

>>3993386
i want reddit to leave

>> No.3995839

Read 20-30 of his books, counted once but forgot.
Now i'm 2/3 in The Dark Tower and autistically rage about his decision to include him-fucking-self in the 6th and 7th books. Makes it almost unreadable.
He gets predictable after a while but I admire his way of describing a hot mundane afternoon.

>> No.3995842

>>3995839
> Read 20-30 of his books
lol

>> No.3995849

>>3994060
Maybe you should stop being so narcissistic and thinking that anyone gives a fuck who you are when you post. If you're using a tripcode and there is no express need for you to identify yourself as the OP, then you're just attention whoring and trying to built some stupid cult of personality, which is fucking pathetic on an anonymous imageboard.

>> No.3995854

>>3993386

I greatly respect him as an author. I think his prose is better than people give him credit for, his storytelling is excellent in it's concepts and execution, some of his endings could be a bit better, but on the whole I rather like him so far.

So far I've read Misery and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Misery, 8.5-9/10, GWLTG, 7/10

>> No.3995858

My favorite book of his was "Killer Horror Eternal Space Clown Versus Ancient Giant Turtle Who Gets Help From Boy With Stutter".

My favorite part of the book was when a group of underage children had an orgy in a sewer in order to help figure out where they were exactly. My second favorite part was when King revealed that the antagonist was the the brainchild of a 4-year-old, featuring such writing as "Boo! Did I scare you? You can't even conceive my TRUE form, that's how SPOOKY I am!"

>> No.3995863

In one chapter King can make you fall in love with a character. You know them more personally than you could any other character in a book.
In the following two chapters he can slay that same person.
I can't finish The Stand, as it feels way too drawn out halfway through. It's not that I don't love his characters so much as I should just stick to his Dark Tower series. That shit is legit as fuck

>> No.3995895

The first King book I read was Desperation. I fucking hated it due to fact it felt like a book made for a film publisher to read. Pandering.

>Then I read The Gunslinger, IT, Misery and the Shining.

>> No.3995979

>>3993386
I'm not a native English speaker, but I've read one ghost story book, in English, set around Maine, and I actually got scared at some points. I think he achieves what he proposes to do, gotta respect that.

>> No.3995983

>>3995979
or you're a pussy

>> No.3995985

>>3995983
me and everyone buying his stuff

>> No.3995986

Yes i respect him. I have not read any of his works (I have heard him speak though).

>> No.3996012

I've read The Dark Tower and The Shining, I enjoyed them but don't really know what else of his to read.

>> No.3996017

>>3995985
not that farfetched

>> No.3998619

Harold Bloom thinks he's shit.

I was at B&N the other day, and I came across The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake...

>> No.3998691

>>3998619

Harold Bloom thinks most books are shit.

I really, really don't understand how someone who reads as much as he does can be so meanspirited.

>> No.3998734

>>3998691

Great knowledge of a field inspires you with hate for most of it.

>> No.3998736

>>3998691
Meanspirited? Seriously? Have you actually listened to any of his lectures or interviews? The man is in love with literature.

>> No.3998823

Most of what he writes is indulgent and aimless, but the fact that he puts outs so much means he's written quote a few good books.

>> No.3998858

>>3994036

>everything's eventual

Yeah. The short story where this man tells about his meeting with the devil is the best and most scary short story I've ever read, cheesy as it sounds.

>> No.3998863

>>3998619

Harold Bloom is nothing but an intelligent fool. He's nice but no cigar.

>> No.3998881

I read the long walk and wasn't impressed. I wanted to read It but I can't imagine horror working as literature

>> No.3998884

King is hit or miss with ending his stories. "Hand of God" showing up at the end of The Stand was so silly.

>> No.3998960

>>3993386
I think he's goddamn brilliant in writing really uncomfortable characters. They taste slimy when you read them.
How ever conveyer-belt he might otherwise be, I'm always impressed by just how he gets that character type down. I mean The Dead Zone? When I first opened up the book Stillson scared me. I was young, but still. It was a lot different from all the Paterson books I had read before that, all the cheesy gore and evilness.

>> No.3999043

>>3998884
I forgot what it did exactly, did it detonate the bomb?

>>3995858
I don't think I want to check and find out that that's a real book title

>> No.3999050

>>3993386
What's with all the Stephen King discussions lately? Do you people have some sort of latent love for the man's work, but can't bring yourselves to admit it?

>> No.3999077

I have immense respect for the man's skill to create something that's easy to read, but I do think he should take more time to work on his stories so they don't feel so... Shallow.

The first King book I tried was RAGE (becuase XTREEME), and it was interesting, but I used that Microsoft Sam voice to read it to me and I was too young to appreciate it.

Then I started reading Misery on a whim and my god, it was a good place to start. It helped that I didn't watch the movie or know in advance what would happen besides the blurb, so it was tense. Being King I had no idea if the main character would live or die, and that made all of the Annie-freaks-out moments all the more tense. And I have to say when you get to ''the scene'' (you know the ones), it's very exhilarating.

Then Roadwork (written under Bachman). It was... Interesting. It wasn't tense, it didn't have too much of a plot. Really, what kept me reading was King's easy-going prose. Stuff only happens in the very last couple of chapters. Overall, it was alright, but I'm guessing people would consider it meh.

The Long Walk. It was one of King's very first works and it show. By god it shows. The man used adverbs as freely as he used to use alcohol and over-the-counter drugs. A small list: Achingly, soberly, jelaously, fitfully, steadily, reproachfully, lifelessly, curiously, bluntly, stiffly, companionably, jovially, blurrily, rawly. It was average, and with the premise, you could see the ending a mile away.

The Dark Half. Better than The Long Walk, but I felt it dragged itself and it just wasn't interesting enough. George didn't feel like enough of a threat to Thad, and that is what made it so disappointing for me. I was expecting something Misery-like, but with mind-games. What I got was anything but.

Next up is Desperation, and after that The Dead Zone.

>> No.3999170

Stephen King is a great writer. I don't have much love for the only novel of his I read (Carrie), but his short fiction is great.

>"The Last Rung on the Ladder"
>The Body

These two are God tier.

>> No.3999177

>>3993407

Right on.

Some people read the way others lift: if it doesn't hurt eventually, you're doing it wrong.

If you don't enjoy a book, don't read it. I personally read all sorts of books, from Plato to science-fiction to history, and I've greatly enjoyed every book of King I've read.

Some of us don't feel so insecure. I have zero problem admitting I like King: he's far better than people say. It's just that his insane popularity makes a lot of fuckers doubt his skill.

>> No.3999183

Today, /lit/ wasn't a faggot. Glad to see some sense in you people. You should post more.

>> No.3999200

>>3999050

I started a thread on him recently too. I think King represents the literature that's more story-based than the pseudo-intellectual games that much of /lit/ enjoys.

I understand playing with boundaries and making puns and references, but that's not the heart of literature.

And in that domain, King is truly a king.

>> No.3999205
File: 1.99 MB, 369x271, 1327175201845.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3999205

>>3999077
>I used that Microsoft Sam voice to read it to me and I was too young to appreciate it.

>> No.3999220

>>3999205
I meant I was too young to appreciate the story. My bad.

>> No.3999227

He is overrated as fuck op. Some of his stuff is worth reading like The Shining, The Green Mile, Misery, and his collection of four novellas called Different Seasons. Honestly though his writing style is just awful and it cannot be considered literature. He has a horrible way of writing and always adds unnecessary cuss words,sex references,and drug use in his books that seem really juvenile. No one will remember his shit 100 years from now.

>> No.3999228

>>3999220

It's the Sam thing that makes me laugh.

I can't imagine listening to Sam for more than 2 minutes.

>> No.3999232

>>3999227
>Honestly though his writing style is just awful and it cannot be considered literature.

Bullshit. If King was not famous and if he were dead and only known to a few scholars, you'd be sucking his dick to Kingdom come (you didn't see it but your brain did).

>> No.3999240

>>3999200
THANK YOU.

Finally someone said it.

>> No.3999249

>>3999232
Literary people consider his works as horrible. If literary figures don't like an author then they never get discussed in colleges and are never required reading for future students of literature and the authors works tend to become forgotten. Scholars will not remember him at all in the future. He is a third-rate Poe or Lovecraft

>> No.3999251

>>3994045
>>3995470
>>3995849
Oh boy, heeeere we go

>> No.3999260

>>3999249

I am a literary person, sir. I've worked as a scholar. You're very wrong. Nobody in my English department skipped King and few have an actual bad opinion of him.

Everyone will remember King in the future because his work is worthy, while people will forget books that solely attracted scholars.

Time has a way to take the best and skip the rest.

King will be amongst the only authors remembered from the 20th century in 5,000 years.

>> No.3999282

>>3999249
>Literary people consider his works as horrible
>Literary people
First of all, you're an elitist dickhole. It's an ad hominem attack, I realize.
>scholars will not remember him at all
why? because he doesn't have some edgy, contrary view of the world like *gasp* Joyce or Proust? because the average reader can make it through his work without a dictionary in one hand? Or is it because his books actually have a modicum of entertainment value? I have a feeling that you consider yourself one of these "literary people", don't you? You certainly have no qualms about speaking on the behalf of every single one of them. By the way, and this is just an innocent question, what do you consider to be a "literary" person, and what is it about this person that boosts his own heavy-handed, ego-inspired opinion above that of people who read for the sake of... fun?

>> No.3999305

>>3999282

Don't listen to him. I'm a "literary" person with a degree and I know actual literary folks who work in universities: they are not the sort of dickbag you find on 4chan. A bunch of them really enjoy King.

With the canon and all that, you need to wait a fucking long time before knowing what will stick and what won't.

Scholars didn't even read Melville back then, critics thought he was shit. And now he's a classic.

I wouldn't be surprised if King was to become a big classic in a few centuries. There is every reason he will be.

We study fabliaux nowadays, and they're basically violent, gross, nasty short texts meant to be sung, so they rhyme, with every sort of prank and shit ass joke there is.

If these had come out recently, critics would hate them and think little of them.

People can be seriously biased in the most retarded ways, but worry not.

Actual literary people tend to appreciate both Joyce and King.

There's 4chan and there's the real world. In the real world, most English literature scholars will express interest in anything written in English.

Shitting on popular authors to feel superior is what insecure tweens do. The rest read what they like because it's good and they don't care what anon the fedora donner thinks.

>> No.3999361

I read Carrie, arguably one of his most tame works, and found it over-the-top. Essentially he is using free association and publishing it. All of his ideas provoke thought, but the actual content is a painful experience. You might as well get them all spoiled for you on goodreads- reading the ending is just as satisfying as waiting through the whole book to make it there. Every concept he creates is in fact a new idea, but not all of those ideas come to fruition of a story worth spending time on. He is a concepts man, not a storyteller. Think of the dark tower as a psychological theory; think of 'Thinner' as a societal allegory, but don't think of wasting your time on every single novel he's ever put out. Choose one, check it out, and then scratch your head in bemusement trying to understand why.

>> No.3999372

THIS!!

King is a great writer. He will write a 900 page book and it will still be gripping because of his underrated prose.

>> No.3999374

>>3999200
>>3999260

I was replying to these guys in case you are wondering.

>> No.3999425

>>3999305
I like the way you think.