Illuminating the religious and existential themes in Stephen King's
horror stories Who are we? Why are we here? Where do we go when we
die? For answers to these questions, people often look to religion.
But religion is not the only place seekers turn. Myths, legends,
and other stories have given us alternative ways to address the
fundamental quandaries of existence. Horror stories, in particular,
with their focus on questions of violence and mortality, speak
urgently to the primal fears embedded in such existential
mysteries. With more than fifty novels to his name, and hundreds of
millions of copies sold, few writers have spent more time
contemplating those fears than Stephen King. Yet despite being one
of the most widely read authors of all time, King is woefully
understudied. America's Dark Theologian is the first in-depth
investigation into how King treats religion in his horror fiction.
Considering works such as Carrie, The Dead Zone, Misery, The
Shining, and many more, Douglas Cowan explores the religious
imagery, themes, characters, and, most importantly, questions that
haunt Stephen King's horror stories. Religion and its trappings are
found throughout King's fiction, but what Cowan reveals is a writer
skeptical of the certainty of religious belief. Describing himself
as a "fallen away" Methodist, King is less concerned with providing
answers to our questions, than constantly challenging both those
who claim to have answers and the answers they proclaim. Whether he
is pondering the existence of other worlds, exploring the origins
of religious belief and how it is passed on, probing the nature of
the religious experience, or contemplating the existence of God,
King invites us to question everything we think we know.
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