Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tbr_the_unconquered 's review for:
Danse Macabre
by Stephen King
There is a certain amount of stigma that the occassional reader attaches to horror as a genre. I should qualify what the term 'occassional reader' means : the kind of person who is not bitten too hard by the reading bug ! One book in a long time gap will satisfy their appetite and they shy away from making further explorations is a common trait. I have been a constant recipient of questions and statements from this class in the lines of Do you read horror ? I have only read Dracula and that was enough for me ! and more along these lines. To a section of the reading community, horror and fantasy are genres that need to be avoided for reasons best known only to them. Personally, I got my first taste of the horror novel when I accidentally stumbled upon King's Carrie in my school days. My affair with horror literature has been very limited but something I have not allowed to die a silent death. A feeling akin to learning magic tricks from a practicing magician englufed me during the entire duration of this book. If you are someone familiar with the landscape of American popular literature, Stephen King is a name you would have chanced across one time or another.
An in depth look into the whole aspect of the horror genre is how I can sum up the book. With a writing style that speaks volumes about the author's passion for the content, I was treated to a barrage of information on the medium that brought us unforgettable icons like Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster.King traces the growth of this aspect of human imagination from its infancy in the pulp fiction and penny dreadfuls to its more matured version as a reflection of society's woes at any given point in time. War, economic depression and fear of mass desctruction have all produced their share of horror fiction if we think along the lines of King's logic. While the tone is not entirely stentorian or academic (read dry and lifeless !), the subject is presented in an concise and understandable manner. Something that comes to mind is King's way of examining most works in the field against the archetypes : the Vampire, the Werewolf, the Thing with no name and the Haunted House. He dissects seminal works of horror literature like Dracula, Frankenstein, The body snatchers and The haunting of hill house to share what are blatantly obvious yet hitherto unseen perspectives.I would not place this on the same plane as the brilliant On Writing for the field is much more narrow but in the end King is a darn good writer of horror fiction and it shows in the content and treatment of the subject.
If you are a lover of horror fiction, then this is for you. If not, you will fall asleep in a chapter. Take that from me !
An in depth look into the whole aspect of the horror genre is how I can sum up the book. With a writing style that speaks volumes about the author's passion for the content, I was treated to a barrage of information on the medium that brought us unforgettable icons like Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster.King traces the growth of this aspect of human imagination from its infancy in the pulp fiction and penny dreadfuls to its more matured version as a reflection of society's woes at any given point in time. War, economic depression and fear of mass desctruction have all produced their share of horror fiction if we think along the lines of King's logic. While the tone is not entirely stentorian or academic (read dry and lifeless !), the subject is presented in an concise and understandable manner. Something that comes to mind is King's way of examining most works in the field against the archetypes : the Vampire, the Werewolf, the Thing with no name and the Haunted House. He dissects seminal works of horror literature like Dracula, Frankenstein, The body snatchers and The haunting of hill house to share what are blatantly obvious yet hitherto unseen perspectives.I would not place this on the same plane as the brilliant On Writing for the field is much more narrow but in the end King is a darn good writer of horror fiction and it shows in the content and treatment of the subject.
If you are a lover of horror fiction, then this is for you. If not, you will fall asleep in a chapter. Take that from me !