Here's a work in progress version of my course description. It's bound to change as I finalize the syllabus. Thank you all again for your really wonderful feedback. I will keep you posted as I finalize my course reading. Your suggestions have been incredibly helpful! I will also check back in as I am thinking through assignments to get your thoughts. Again, this is the first time a King class has been taught at my institution, so I want to make sure it is a success.
"Although he is known as the “Master of Horror” King’s body of work is often genre-bending, combining mystery, suspense, science-fiction, fantasy, coming-of-age, and historical fiction. Despite (or, perhaps because of) his popular success, King’s place in the academy has been hotly contested. Some have dismissed any potential literary significance of King’s work by calling it page-turning pulp and gimmicky trash that is dumbing-down readers. Others see King as a misunderstood writer who has been marginalized from academic discourse due to his popular appeal and primary work in the maligned genre of horror.
In this class we will engage this debate about the canon, popular culture, and literary main stream appeal by studying texts from throughout King’s 40+ year writing career. Students will develop critical frameworks to analyze and write about King’s literary work as well as its reach in film, music, and television. We will historically situate his texts, discuss the genre conventions of horror and popular fiction, and put King in conversation with traditionally “canonical” authors like Shirley Jackson, Flannery O’Connor, Edgar Allan Poe, Toni Morrison, and Bram Stoker. As we explore all things Stephen King, we will think through the following questions: In what ways can academia engage with popularly successful fiction as a subject of serious literary analysis? What is the difference between capital L Literature and fiction? How can we critically unpack “page turners” and “entertaining” books?"