Hello again, and what about King's Danse Macabre?!

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Howard Rosenzweig

Howard Rosenzweig

Member
Aug 19, 2014
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Hello Fellow Authors!

I'm writing again for primarily two reasons. First, for some reason, I can not reply to people's responses to my posts [unless they send a message to my Inbox]. The powers that be think if I post something new in the Newbie arena, and get responses, I might then be able to communicate properly.

Secondly, I wanted to mention that one of my favorite Stephen King's work is his non-fiction take on various forms of horror, in his book "Danse Macabre". I found it to be a wonderful overview of horror in fiction, movies and TV. I especially enjoyed his coverage of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits [a show that scared me a lot when I watched it as a young child].

So if you have the time, let me have your thoughts on it [and as always, please keep the profanities down to a minimum]...

Take care!


Dr. Howard
 
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Dana Jean

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
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Apr 11, 2006
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Howard Rosenzweig said:
Hello Fellow Authors!

I'm writing again for primarily two reasons. First, for some reason, I can not reply to people's responses to my posts [unless they send a message to my Inbox]. The powers that be think if I post something new in the Newbie arena, and get responses, I might then be able to communicate properly.

Secondly, I wanted to mention that one of my favorite Stephen King's work is his non-fiction take on various forms of horror, in his book "Danse Macabre". I found it to be a wonderful overview of horror in fiction, movies and TV. I especially enjoyed his coverage of The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits [a show that scared me a lot when I watched it as a young child].

So if you have the time, let me have your thoughts on it [and as always, please keep the profanities down to a minimum]...

Take care!


Dr. Howard
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Howard, you CAN post but your posts are moderated. That means, you will not see them until a moderator okays them. Jordan looked into this and sees no reason why you can't post. If you continue to have problems, send a message directly to Jordan.
 
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Walter Oobleck

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
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Okay...kaka poopie...One item that struck me about Danse Macabre is...two things...one is what he writes about Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby...which mayhap gave birth to Joe Hill's Horns...the ole cyclic nature of evil and whatnot...where was I? To do with satire and horror..."Rosemary's Baby is a splendid confirmation of the idea that humor and horror lie side by side, and that to deny one is to deny the other." As such, there is a scene in Harry Crews's Feast of Snakes...back seat of a cruiser, straight edge, the snake making an appearance only to be swiped off...same thing. Makes me wonder if all those titles at the back there, if they contain an element like these two.
And the other one I forgot...has to do with Hill House...a force which is divorced from humankind.
 
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Howard Rosenzweig

Howard Rosenzweig

Member
Aug 19, 2014
17
170
Walter Oobleck said:
Okay...kaka poopie...One item that struck me about Danse Macabre is...two things...one is what he writes about Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby...which mayhap gave birth to Joe Hill's Horns...the ole cyclic nature of evil and whatnot...where was I? To do with satire and horror..."Rosemary's Baby is a splendid confirmation of the idea that humor and horror lie side by side, and that to deny one is to deny the other." As such, there is a scene in Harry Crews's Feast of Snakes...back seat of a cruiser, straight edge, the snake making an appearance only to be swiped off...same thing. Makes me wonder if all those titles at the back there, if they contain an element like these two.
And the other one I forgot...has to do with Hill House...a force which is divorced from humankind.
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Thank you Walter for your thoughts. I think one needs horror and humor together, for without humor the horror would be truly unbearable [or it might even lose it's effect without the strong contrast of humor].
 
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skimom2

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
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I think it's his conversational tone, combined with the autobiographical details and his obvious love for the topic, that made me a lifetime fan. It's the feeling that Mr. King is a regular guy-a smart guy, but regular nonetheless-that would sit down at a bar with you and talk all night about his passion for writing, the macabre, and his family. Without ever having met the man, Danse Macabre makes you feel like you know the guy. He's not THE OTHER; he's one of us. Now, I'm not saying that the guy in the books/forewords is who he is all of the time, or even that it's not a persona he puts on (his 'writer suit'), but damn if it isn't effective. My admiration was cemented with this book, and I refer to it so often that my family says they never have to read it because they know everything (lol).
 
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Howard Rosenzweig

Howard Rosenzweig

Member
Aug 19, 2014
17
170
skimom2 said:
I think it's his conversational tone, combined with the autobiographical details and his obvious love for the topic, that made me a lifetime fan. It's the feeling that Mr. King is a regular guy-a smart guy, but regular nonetheless-that would sit down at a bar with you and talk all night about his passion for writing, the macabre, and his family. Without ever having met the man, Danse Macabre makes you feel like you know the guy. He's not THE OTHER; he's one of us. Now, I'm not saying that the guy in the books/forewords is who he is all of the time, or even that it's not a persona he puts on (his 'writer suit'), but damn if it isn't effective. My admiration was cemented with this book, and I refer to it so often that my family says they never have to read it because they know everything (lol).
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Thank you so much for your thoughts! I too believe that Mr. King comes across as an intelligent, decent guy. For someone who has achieved the level of success he has, it's very refreshing that he still can be self deprecating and quite humble.
 
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