Stephen King (1947–) Research Paper

BACKGROUND

A favorite author of many teenagers, Stephen King has written over twenty-five works of horror fiction under his own name and the pseudonym Richard Bachman. His unique combination of the macabre, black humor, psychic phenomena, and popular culture has great appeal in all formats: book, movie, and television.

BROWSE FOR BOOKS ON THE SHELF USING THESE CALL NUMBERS

Biography section under King, Stephen

791.43–791.435

813.54

LOOK UNDER THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS IN THE CATALOG (CARD OR COMPUTER)

King, Stephen—Criticism and interpretation

King, Stephen—Interviews

Horror tales—History and criticism

Horror films—History and criticism

REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT MAY HELP (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

Garrett, Agnes, and Helga P. McCue, eds. Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Vol. 1, 1989.

Kies, Cosette. Presenting Young Adult Horror Fiction, 1992.

Lesniack, James G., ed. Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 30, 1990.

Marowski, Daniel G., ed. Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 37, 1986.

PERIODICAL INDEXES TO SEARCH (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

Biography Index

EBSCO Magazine Article Summaries

InfoTrac

Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature

WILSONDISC

ONLINE DATABASES TO SEARCH

America Online

CompuServe

Dialog
Internet

Prodigy

KEY WORDS AND DESCRIPTORS FOR PERIODICAL INDEX AND ONLINE SEARCHES

King, Stephen

Horror tales

Horror films

VIDEOTAPES ON THIS TOPIC

Many of King’s works are available on videotape.

Stephen King’s Golden Years. Worldvision Home Video, 1991.

FICTION BOOKS RELATING TO TOPIC

Fiction section under King, Stephen

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Castle Rock, the Official Stephen King Newsletter, P.O. Box 8183, Bangor, ME 04401.

SUGGESTIONS FOR NARROWING THIS TOPIC

Analyze repetitive themes in King’s works: the outsider as hero, struggle between good and evil, coming of age.

Comment on King’s use of humor.

Discuss King’s use of commercial, or popular, culture in his works.

SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED TOPICS

Dean Koontz

Gothic horror novel literary genre

Popularity of horror fiction among teenagers

R. L. Stine

Tabitha King

This RESEARCH TOPIC GUIDE is intended to help the library user find information and materials on a particular topic in many sources throughout the library. Resources on this topic are not limited to those described and availability will depend upon the individual library. Feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.