• Original research article
  • December 31, 2019
  • Open access

FIGURE OF THE CHILD IN STEPHEN KING’S PROSE

Abstract

This article analyzes the image of the child and the concept of childhood in Stephen King’s stories in the context of contemporary American literature in a wider context. For this purpose, the figure of the child is investigated diachronically and synchronically and the child characters in S. King’s major stories are examined in mythological, psychoanalytic and sociocultural aspects. Linkages are made with the relevant authors who may have impacted the writer. The author of the article concludes that, unlike his contemporaries, King portrays the children as innocent victims of the irrational evil forces and illustrates how they mature into adulthood as they undergo all the ordeals carrying their childhood traumas throughout their lives.

References

  1. Alegre S. M. Nightmares of childhood: The child and the monster in four novels by Stephen King // Atlantis. 2001. № 1. P. 105-114.
  2. Biddle A. W. The Mythic Journey in “The Body” // Dark Descent / ed. T. Magistrale. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1992. P. 83-97.
  3. Coveney P. The Image of Childhood. L.: Penguin Books, 1967. 362 p.
  4. Csetényi K. Fall from Innocence: Stephen King’s “The Body” [Электронный ресурс] // AMERICANA. 2009. Vol. V. № 2. Special Issue: Proceedings of the 2008 HAAS Conference. URL: https://americanaejournal.hu/vol5no2/csetenyi (дата обращения: 10.06.2019).
  5. King S. Different Seasons. N. Y.: Viking Press, 1983. 507 p.
  6. King S. Skeleton Crew. N. Y.: Warner Books, 2017. 784 p.
  7. McClelland M. Emerson and the Vision of the Child [Электронный ресурс]: PhD dissertation. Saint Louis, Missouri, 2011. URL: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1613&context=etd (дата обращения: 29.08.2019).
  8. Nenilin A. Stephen King and the Theme of Childhood in the Anglo-American Literary Tradition [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://studylib.ru/doc/2234763/stephen-king-and-the-theme-of-childhood-in-the-anglo (дата обращения: 17.10.2019).
  9. Parkhill C. The Prometheus of Paedophilia: Sexual Violence and Queer-Making in Stephen King’s “The Library Policeman” [Электронный ресурс] // Crossroads. 2009. Vol. III. Iss. II. Special issue - 2008 Rhizomes Conference. P. 99-109. URL: http://www.uq.edu.au/crossroads/Archives/Vol. 3/Issue 2 2009/Vol3Iss209 - 14.Parkhill (p.99-109).pdf (дата обращения: 21.07.2019).
  10. Rivera A. The History of Children’s Literature: 19th Century to Today [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://blog.bookstellyouwhy. com/the-history-of-childrens-literature-part-2 (дата обращения: 29.08.2019).
  11. Tomalin M. Teacher’s notes. The Body by Stephen King [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://www.pearsonelt.ch/ download/ media/9780582418172_fs.pdf (дата обращения: 10.06.2019).
  12. Vasu S. Characteristics of a Childlike Heart [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/ characteristics-of-a-childlike-heart-dr-stanley-vasu-sermon-on-character-91510 (дата обращения: 03.09.2019).

Author information

Ilaha Adil Majidova

Azerbaijan University of Languages

About this article

Publication history

  • Received: June 23, 2019.
  • Published: December 31, 2019.

Keywords

  • С. Кинг
  • образ ребенка
  • фантастика
  • инфантильная регрессия
  • концепция детства
  • Stephen King
  • child’s image
  • horror fiction
  • infantile regression
  • concept of childhood

Copyright

© 2019 The Author(s)
© 2019 Gramota Publishing, LLC

User license

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)