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I Thesis/Dissertation Sheet I Australia's -1 Global UNSW University I SYDN�Y I Surname/Family Name Dempsey Given Name/s Claire Kathleen Marsden Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar MPhil Faculty UNSW Canberra I School School of Humanities and Social Sciences Thesis Title 'A quick kiss in the dark from a stranger': Stephen King and the Short Story Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) There has been significant scholarly attention paid to both the short story genre and the Gothic mode, and to the influence of significant American writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and H.P. Lovecraft, on the evolution of these. However, relatively little consideration appears to have been offeredto the I contribution of popular writers to the development of the short story and of Gothic fiction. In the Westernworld in the twenty-firstcentury there is perhaps no contemporary popular writer of the short story in the Gothic mode I whose name is more familiar than that of Stephen King. This thesis will explore the contribution of Stephen King to the heritage of American short stories, with specific reference to the American Gothic tradition, the I impact of Poe, Hawthorneand Lovecrafton his fiction, and the significance of the numerous adaptations of his works forthe screen. I examine Stephen King's distinctive style, recurring themes, the adaptability of his work I across various media, and his status within American popular culture. Stephen King's contribution to the short story genre, I argue, is premised on his attention to the general reader and to the evolution of the genre itself, I providing as he does a conduit between contemporary an_d classic short fiction. I I Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, n9w or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, I such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral I theses only). I The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and I require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. I �OR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: I ‘A quick kiss in the dark from a stranger’: Stephen King and the Short Story Claire Kathleen Marsden Dempsey A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Humanities and Social Sciences UNSW@Canberra March 2018 COPYRIGHTSTATEMENT 'I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of th� Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I alsoauthorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstractof my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International(this is applicable to doctoral thesesonly ). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission �s not beengranted I have applied/willapply for a partialrestriction of the digital copy of my thesisor dissertation.' AUTHENTICITYSTATEMENT 'I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officiaUy folpproved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there .are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.' ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. 2 Abstract There has been significant scholarly attention paid to both the short story genre and the Gothic mode, and to the influence of significant American writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and H.P. Lovecraft, on the evolution of these. However, relatively little consideration appears to have been offered to the contribution of popular writers to the development of the short story and of Gothic fiction. In the Western world in the twenty-first century there is perhaps no contemporary popular writer of the short story in the Gothic mode whose name is more familiar than that of Stephen King. This thesis will explore the contribution of Stephen King to the heritage of American short stories, with specific reference to the American Gothic tradition, the impact of Poe, Hawthorne and Lovecraft on his fiction, and the significance of the numerous adaptations of his works for the screen. I examine Stephen King’s distinctive style, recurring themes, the adaptability of his work across various media, and his status within American popular culture. Stephen King’s contribution to the short story genre, I argue, is premised on his attention to the general reader and to the evolution of the genre itself, providing as he does a conduit between contemporary and classic short fiction. 3 Contents Acknowledgements p.5 Abbreviations p.6 Introduction p.7 Chapter One p.15 A Quick Kiss in the Dark Chapter Two p.35 The Art of Darkness Chapter Three p.53 Don’t Go into the Woods Chapter Four p.64 Moral Voyages Chapter Five p.81 When the Monsters Get You Chapter Six p.94 Made for the Screen Conclusion p.112 Bibliography p.116 4 Acknowledgements First and foremost, this thesis would not have been possible without the tireless dedication of my supervisor, Dr Heather Neilson. This MPhil has been a long engagement, but I am so thankful to have shared it with you. Thank you for your generosity with your time and wisdom, your honesty and encouragement, and the veracity of your challenging draft annotations. Most of all, thank you for supporting me in pursuing a research topic that I truly enjoyed. My academic explorations would not be the same without you! To the family and friends who offered their prayers, happy thoughts, encouragements and crazy memes (thanks, Paul!) throughout this process – thank you for your consistent and enduring love and support. A special note of thanks to Dylan for sharing his particular disdain of the recent The Dark Tower film adaptation with me as I composed Chapter Six (unfortunately a tad explicit for this forum); the essence of your elaborate analysis remains! And finally, to the love of my life and greatest supporter, my husband James, who has selflessly endured hours of listening to my musings on Stephen King, the short story genre and the Gothic mode; has watched countless film and television adaptations (and enjoyed most!) of King’s fiction; and has even become a fan of King’s work in the process. Your enduring support, encouragement and reassurance has been invaluable – I could not have completed this without you. Thank you for tolerating my living on ‘planet thesis’; for taking on more familial responsibility while I was lost amongst books and post-it notes; and for not getting (too) jealous of my brief dalliance with another man, Mr King. You are my ka-tet, thankee-sai. 5 Abbreviations In the course of this thesis, the titles of Stephen King’s short story collections are abbreviated as follows: NS Night Shift (1978) SC Skeleton Crew (1985) N&D Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993) EE Everything’s Eventual (2002) JAS Just After Sunset (2008) FDNS Full Dark, No Stars (2010) BBD The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015) 6 Introduction And by such means, with such care and skill, a picture is at length painted which leaves in the mind of him who contemplates it with a kindred art, a sense of the fullest satisfaction.1 …there are few pleasures so excellent as […] reading a good story which I can complete in a single sitting.2 There has been significant scholarly attention paid to the examination of the short story genre and the Gothic mode, in both their traditional and modern forms, and to ground-breaking writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and H.P. Lovecraft. However, relatively little consideration appears to have been offered to the contribution of popular writers. Stephen King is one of the most prolific, recognisable, widely-distributed and widely-read contemporary American authors of his time.