Is Stephen King pleb-tier?

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Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:01:57 2014 No.4489317 [Reply] [Original]

Is Stephen King pleb-tier?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:02:57 2014 No.4489321 is that even a question?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:02:57 2014 No.4489320 File: 21 KB, 270x380, maximum_overdrive.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] Yes

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:03:57 2014 No.4489324 Stephen King is the original pleb.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:06:57 2014 No.4489334 >>4489317 >The Shining >Shawshank Redemption then all else is plebe^1000000

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:20:30 2014 No.4489372 >>4489324 Why did I laugh at this

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:25:30 2014 No.4489385 Stephen King is middlebrow. Even 50 Shades of Grey is middlebrow. Plebs don't read books anymore, so lowbrow books are not being read anymore, except maybe by 65-year-old working-class people.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:30:18 2014 No.4489401

He has written a few semi gems. Other then that, he writes for money and for his fans insatiable desire to piss away money on his half ass generic literature. The other thread showing his twitter is reflective of his lack of character.

It is likley that he was once an ambitious lad trying to create his own classic, but now he no more then a washed up hack, milking his audience.

To milk your audience is an unimaginable crime for a true literary artist. It is a disgrace to the art.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:38:47 2014 No.4489425 The man himself is patrician as fuck for milking money out of plebs. He called himself "the McDonald's of literature", so don't be fooled into thinking that he doesn't know his books are bad.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:43:47 2014 No.4489435 >>4489425 does he even write his own books anymore?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:45:47 2014 No.4489437 >>4489435 Yeah. The one about the guy traveling back in time to save Kennedy or whatever was ok.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:49:47 2014 No.4489447 >>4489385 What do you call Clive Cussler and all of those YA authors? Middle-brow? That's low-brow stuff. I'd argue that almost everything being published is low to middle-brow.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 20:58:47 2014 No.4489469 >>4489317 Who cares? If you like him, read him; who gives a shit about meaningless labels?

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:03:47 2014 No.4489481

>>4489425
The point of the "McDonald's of literature" thing isn't him saying that he thinks his books are bad, he's saying that they're meant to be easy, fun, and not to be taken as a substitute for anything of substance. McDonald's is pretty great for what it is, and you'd be equally retarded complaining McDonald's isn't caviar as you would complaining Salem's Lot isn't The Crying of Lot 49.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:14:36 2014 No.4489502 >>4489481 So pursuing something easy is good? > GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE Vadar is calling you idiot, the dark side is quick and easy and about control.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:15:35 2014 No.4489505 He's the Donald Trump of literature.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:19:36 2014 No.4489514 >>4489505 Nah, Donald Trump is a complete douchebag asshat but Stephen King seems like a pretty nice guy.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:21:35 2014 No.4489517 >>4489514 >not understanding how analogies work

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:26:35 2014 No.4489529 >>4489517 Did you mean in the sense they both have a lot of money? Apart from that King and Trump have almost nothing in common. Fuck even saying he was the Steve Jobs of literature would have been a better analogy.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:31:35 2014 No.4489548 >>4489529 It means they're massively successful but lower the bar of culture in their line of work.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:33:37 2014 No.4489556

>>4489425
He's such a bro,
There's a couple authors like him who are unpretentious about what they do. There should be more.

King is the high end of the pleb tier. He has a literary moment here and there, but most of it is strict entertainment.

Mind you, Pleb tier is not the same as Shit-Tier.
Stephen King is not in the same category as Twilight and Left Behind etc.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:34:36 2014 No.4489560 >>4489548 Trump's line of work has little to do with culture at all and I don't think King is doing much to "lower the bar" of culture. I mean some of his books are pretty solid and some have had good film adaptions (The Shining).

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:34:37 2014 No.4489558 He is mass market tier.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:36:36 2014 No.4489566

>>4489560
>some have had good film adaptions (The Shining).
Kubrick's style of choosing films to adapt was more or less scouring famous mediocre literary works and deciding to make them into cinematic masterpieces. The Shining being a great work of art is arguably counterproductive to your point in this argument.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:36:36 2014 No.4489563

>>4489502
You're retarded. King's novels are junk food entertainment. Judging them as literature is stupid because they are not literature. It's absurd how many people are so snobby about books being 'just' entertainment who then go off and watch shit TV or play video games. Everyone needs entertainment some times. Case in point: You made a Star Wars reference in your post. There is very little artistic merit to Star Wars. It's hypocritical of you to deride people for consuming media just for entertainment when you obviously do the exact same (like almost every other human being in a first world country).

And I don't even like King. I've never read one of his books. They might be bad entertainment, and if they are then go ahead and criticize them, but criticizing them for not being something they were never trying to be is just stupid. This genre of horror novel has more in common with movies like Star Wars, junk TV, and video games than it does with 'real' literature - and that's fine. It's stupid to hold media to a different standard just because it's printed on paper and bound in a book.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:36:36 2014 No.4489565 File: 36 KB, 351x344, 1304987529438.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>4489372 your'e not alone

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:37:36 2014 No.4489569

>>4489558
He's borderline mass-market tier. Danielle Steele, James Patterson, the rest of the Stop and Shop canon, that's mass-market tier. King is redeemable from this to some end, like The Gunslinger, that's neither shit nor mass-market tier. That's one of his books that I like.

Also his novels translate to film incredibly, wheras symbolic, woven language comes second to sheer imagery and, naturally, a ledgible plot.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:38:36 2014 No.4489572 >>4489560 >the shining >a good film stay pleb

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:39:36 2014 No.4489577 >>4489566 Actually King for a while did not like what Kubrick did with the Shinning. Also Kubrick cherry picked the best parts for the movie and got rid everything else and had people re-write it.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:39:36 2014 No.4489580 >>4489572 Holy shit it's not like we're THAT pretentious in real life

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:39:36 2014 No.4489581 >>4489556 Admitting to being a dick, doesn't make you less of a dick. It makes you more of a dick, a self aware dick, who continues to be a dick, despite knowing you are dick.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:41:36 2014 No.4489589

>>4489563
>novels are not to be judged as literature.

Holy fucking shit, you are the reason for the end. You are the end of quality art. Enjoy your entertainment purpose over quality and meaning. You are the end of the humanity, white rice, void of taste, simply existing only to sustain.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:44:36 2014 No.4489599 >>4489589 White rice with salt is some good shit, fiiin to make some now

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:44:37 2014 No.4489601 >>4489560 architecture is culture

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:45:37 2014 No.4489603

>>4489581
He didn't admit to be a dick and then go on to act dickish.
He admitted to being a schlock salesman, He admitted his novels are for entertainment purposes only. He's not being a self-aware dick, he's being self-aware and writing to the best of his abilities. He makes this stuff for the fun of it, and has consistently been shown being grateful for his success.

You're not required to hate people for not producing literature-quality writing. You should reserve that hatred for people who write shitty and pretend like they're god's gift to the intellectual world.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:45:37 2014 No.4489608 >>4489560 >tee hee, he thinks "culture" is one nebulous thing son, literature is one culture (notice the board you're on) and there are other areas of culture. there are separate communities in life and they don't all overlap into one ball of goo.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:46:37 2014 No.4489609

>>4489589
There is a difference between art and entertainment. Some novels are art. Some novels are entertainment. Some are both. Humanity NEEDS both art and entertainment. YOU need both art and entertainment. Why is it worse for a novel to be entertainment than a film? Because that's what you're implying.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:46:37 2014 No.4489611 >>4489601 Donald Trump is not an architect. Donald Trump is a Real Estate mogul give up man. your analogy whomps

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:47:36 2014 No.4489614 >>4489611 You're trying to hard. Your whomping stinks.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:48:36 2014 No.4489618 Quality literature and junk novels can co-exist.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:51:36 2014 No.4489623 >>4489618 I'd think the terms are contradictory to themselves, neglecting the fact that they're both referring to writings.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:52:36 2014 No.4489627 >>4489609 Sure, but that is degrading towards actual skill. It is exactly why modern art is trash bin worthy. It is unrefined garbage that the untrained plebeian can construct.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:53:37 2014 No.4489630 >>4489618 so can humans and fish

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:55:36 2014 No.4489634 >>4489627 skill and talent are different things talent is luck skill is a luck+direction (you can't control the direction 100%--some people were destined to be Danielle Steele)

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:56:36 2014 No.4489638 >>4489630 ahahaha - whoah

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 21:58:36 2014 No.4489646 Absolutely

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:03:36 2014 No.4489657 File: 66 KB, 540x726, 1388442282873.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>4489634 Kill yourself this instant.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:04:36 2014 No.4489661 >>4489627 You know nothing about modern artists you undereducated pleb.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:07:36 2014 No.4489671 Absolutely

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:07:36 2014 No.4489670 File: 398 KB, 1108x1474, 1372982434453.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>4489661 Tell me about modern art then you fucking garbage worshiping sperg.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:12:36 2014 No.4489686 >>4489447 Rest assured everyone, the day is saved- theory Clyde is on the case. His next job: determine whether the tree REALLY did make a sound or not.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:12:36 2014 No.4489684

>>4489670
Go outside, visit an art-museum I'm not going to spoon feed your sorry ass, about how no one wants to buy actual classist art anymore because it's boring and for plebs even though any recognized artist could make it if he wanted. It's dead for a reason.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:16:36 2014 No.4489697 >>4489657 Are you Stephen King?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:17:37 2014 No.4489702 The fact that /lit/ holds Stephen King's books in esteem over Joyce Carol Oates' works shows you that /lit/ is a misogynistic pile of shit.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:22:36 2014 No.4489712

>>4489684
It's dead because of fucking losers like you who have no appriciation for it and reward garbage because muh subjectivity.

In fact I just visited the Metropolitan museum of art yesterday afternoon. Even the American landscapes are more beautiful then this modern trash. No skill, little refinement, little dedication, little patience, poor technique, no mastery.

Pleb is the definition of modern art.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:27:36 2014 No.4489721 >>4489712 Pleb is the definition of the appreciator of modern art.

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:27:36 2014 No.4489722

>>4489712
>muh subjectivity.

You have no idea what this word means. Also you have no idea about the terms function in art.

>No skill, little refinement, little dedication, little patience, poor technique, no mastery

Unqualified value judgements based in ignorance, why are you this butthurt? Are you envious? Are you an failed artist yourself?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:30:37 2014 No.4489728 >>4489722 Yes and no.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:32:37 2014 No.4489733 >>4489728 Convenient response. ;^)

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:36:39 2014 No.4489742 >>4489733 You win.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:38:39 2014 No.4489746 >>4489317 he is a good father

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:39:39 2014 No.4489748 >>4489746 he's a terrible hiker

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:43:39 2014 No.4489754 What about The Dark Tower series?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:43:39 2014 No.4489756 >>4489748 I laughed.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:44:39 2014 No.4489758 >>4489754 Peter David's adaptations were better.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 22:59:39 2014 No.4489776 File: 114 KB, 500x539, 1356220123810.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>4489748 gee, I wonder who could be behind this post

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:03:39 2014 No.4489779 Apart from The Shining, which of King's books most aspires to break out of the pleb class?

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:04:39 2014 No.4489780 >>4489779 The Long Walk

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:05:39 2014 No.4489783 File: 959 KB, 2362x2953, stephen king.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] Which is the least pleb-tier of King's books? >>4489780 Thank you (I reposted the question here, had meant to include image)

Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:27:11 2014 No.4489811

>>4489783
Lisey's Story
The Gunslinger
The Talisman
It
The Stand
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Needful Things
Misery

I think those are the one in which he dipped out of Entertainment-Tier and into Literary-Tier writing the most.

He has others that are good, but I'd go with those.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:36:11 2014 No.4489832 >people taking the Big mac quote at face value. King has recanted that many times. He said it during a time he had little confidence in his work, and he feels that by saying that, he did himself a big disservice.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:37:11 2014 No.4489834 His short stories are high tier. Fucking Night Shift and Skeleton Key are great.

>>	Anonymous Mon Jan 20 23:44:11 2014 No.4489846 Rage was his only cool story. The rest was try-hard.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:07:13 2014 No.4489881 >>4489811 Also the rest of Dark Tower up through Wizard and Glass.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:26:13 2014 No.4489913 >>4489437 11-22-63 was a great story. Some of King's stuff is OK, some is just awful. Hard to judge him as a whole since I haven't read all of his stuff

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:27:13 2014 No.4489915 >>4489846 Rage was crap.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:42:13 2014 No.4489942 >>4489915 dang.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:43:14 2014 No.4489945 >>4489913 why would you do that to yourself.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 00:51:13 2014 No.4489953 It was awesome so fuck off

Anonymous Tue Jan 21 01:06:13 2014 No.4489970

Sorry, but people who attempt to define literature by "patrician" and "pleb" are just idiotic unless they are literary historians.

Widespread literacy is relatively new, as is cast systems where people of any upbringing are allowed to purchase/enjoy things if they happen to acquire the money. 300 years ago, it didn't matter how much money, ambition, intelligence, or charisma you had, you could be stuck as a plebian.

But thats changed now. You can buy a fucking orange for nothing. You can pay to get your dick sucked for an orange at all.

So when we use the term "pleb" now on a massive network of computers with federally enforced common access (until a few days ago), we typically mean both "of common people" and "of low value" we are typically forgetting the common man now has access to some of the best things... things the richest person 50 years ago couldn't fathom attaining.

So maybe try to be more specific than the term. "For people who aren't rich" and "rich in quality" haven't ever referred to the same set of things, less so now than ever.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 01:13:13 2014 No.4489979 >>4489970 Pleb is consumable but doesn't make a lasting impression. Doesn't become a "classic." Patrician does.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 01:17:17 2014 No.4489984 >>4489970 >federally enforced common access (until a few days ago) What does this mean?

Anonymous Tue Jan 21 01:19:17 2014 No.4489987

>>4489984
I'm referring to net neutrality.

There are a variety of arguments that may have you conclude its not truly neutral or common, but it is much more common with such laws in place than it would otherwise be.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality

Anonymous Tue Jan 21 01:29:48 2014 No.4489995

>>4489563
>It's absurd how many people are so snobby about books being 'just' entertainment who then go off and watch shit TV or play video games.
>Implying TV and video games have no artistic value.

>There is very little artistic merit to Star Wars.
>Implying Star Wars is not a love letter to the medium of film itself and a very important film in the history of cinema.

>And I don't even like King. I've never read one of his books.
>Never even tried reading a book by King. Has a strong opinion on it.

Heck, I agree with your opinion, but I hate how snobby you come across by stating your opinion.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 02:59:53 2014 No.4490109 >>4489811 >the girl who loved Tom Gordon >even remotely good Please stop Good king books: It The stand The long walk Pet sematary Nightmares and dreamscapes (short stories) The running man

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 03:02:53 2014 No.4490115 >>4490109 No Gunslinger prepare to defend yourself against many kicks to the balls

Anonymous Tue Jan 21 03:05:53 2014 No.4490118

>>4490115
Haven't read it
I'm sick of king I read like 30 of his books in the span of three years
Feel I need to only read the dark tower series since everything else seems like fodder (Gerald's game was godawful, and so was the dark half and fire starter)

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 03:22:53 2014 No.4490140 >>4489702 >>>/lgbt/ Also look at that woman, holy shit she needs a drink of water

Anonymous Tue Jan 21 04:16:53 2014 No.4490261

Steven King can write a good book but can't end one to save his fucking life.

All It had to be was a fucking spooky demon or some shit. Just a fucking spooky demon. Why the fuck does he have to be an INTERDIMENSIONALLLL BEINNGGGGG OOOoOOOOoOOOooOoOOOOOooOoOOoO

Also walking hedges in The Shining? What the fuck?

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 04:25:54 2014 No.4490280 >>4489556 He is KIND of pretentious, with his whole "I have no control over what I write at all, it's all 'the muse'" philosophy. Like seriously man, take some fucking responsibility.

Fearless Vampire Killer !!9cX8at186Fr Tue Jan 21 04:27:53 2014 No.4490287

His early stuff is good. "Talisman" is brilliant. "Dark Tower 1-3" is too. As well as his classics.

But most of his later stuff is garbage. "Doctor Sleep" can kiss my ass.

It's obviously not world class lit. He acknowledges such.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 05:04:53 2014 No.4490341 If he's pleb tier, he's higher than most of the other pleb tier authors. I haven't read much of his though. I read Pet Sematary last Halloween for the first time. Was pretty spooked until the ending. What a load of shit the ending was.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 05:10:53 2014 No.4490349 >>4490341 >What a load of shit the ending was. Seems to be an oft repeated sentiment when it comes to King.

>>	Anonymous Tue Jan 21 09:59:17 2014 No.4490788 >>4489979 A lot of King's books have a made a lasting impression though...in both literature and cinema...

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/lit/ - Literature