I've been reading Stephen King: The Art Of Darkness, by Douglas E. Winter. Now, I have to admit up front, I didn't read this cover to cover. I bounced around according to the book I was interested in. So, while I didn't read it whole, I think I read the whole thing.
.
This is an outstanding book.
.
1. Winter has a strong grasp of classic fiction. He doesn't try to sell King as little more than a pop-culture wonder boy, but compares him to classics. That's a joy. He discusses The Heart Of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad in his chapter on The Stand. By the way, I hated The Heart Of Darkness. So, better to let Mr. Winter tell me the connections than have to dig them out myself!
.
In trying to catagorize The Stand, he compares it to such works as that of J.R.R. Tolkien, E.R. Eddison and even Milton's Paradise Lost.
.
He notes, "Like Tolkien's popular The Lord Of The Rings, The Stand takes the form of a noble quest and employs a host of characters, some heroic, some darker and indeed monstrous." (55)
.
2. Winter had a working knowledge of King's unpublished works. In his chapter on The Mist, Winter gives mention to "I was a teenage grave robber" and "The Aftermath." He also discusses "Sword in the Darkness."
.
3. Winter is rightly able to compare King to popular culture, including the cult film Night of the Living Dead. I mention this, because it does take some skill to draw from both classic literature and modern films. But when discussing King, both are important.
.
4. The book is locked in time. Published in 1984, a fun quality about The Art of Darkness is that it gives us a look at King's early works without some of the clutter that must come with later reviews. It is not necessary to compare Cujo to Geralds Game. Or The Stand to Under The Dome. I like those things -- but it's refreshing to see how King was viewed early on.
.
Winter gives us glimpses at unpublished works that we now have. For instance, when this was written, Blaze and The Cannibals were both unpublished works. I recall King himself noting that he recently read The Art Of Darkness and what it said about the Cannibals. (see page 157-158 of The Art Of Darkness for his words on The Cannibals)
.
It's interesting to read his chapter "Always More Tales" to see what was yet to come -- stuff we now have. He lists: Skeleton Crew, IT, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Tommyknockers.
.
Winter writes, Both The Eyes of the Dragon and The Tommyknockers have seen complete first drafts; at least two other novels are underway, and King continues to contemplate his proposed sequal to 'Salem's Lot. And then there are the myriad afternoon projects -- what King likes to call his toys -- that he plays with after each morning of serious writing work:
.
"I almost never think of an audience. I've got things so ridiculous that I can't be thinking of an audience. They amuse me and I don't have any idea whether they would amuse anyone else or not."
.
A recent example is The Cannibals which King wrote in long hand during the filming of Creepshow, inspired by his living quarters in Monroeville Pennsylvania: "I've got about 450 pages done and it is all about these people who are trapped in an apartment building. Worst thing I could think of. And I thought, wouldn't it be funny if they all ended up eating each other? It's very very bizarre because it's all on one note. And who knows whether it will be published or not?"
.
To Stephen King it really doesn't matter if the Cannibals sees print. It is impossible to read his fiction without recognizing, in its energy, honesty, and utter lack of inhibition, that it is the product of an inner necessity."
.
I think Winter's book gives us a glimpse of a Stephen King my generation is likely to forget. The younger Stephen King who was still riding his way to the top of his craft.
.
5. The Art Of Darkness serves as an early biography. Of course, at that point, King's drug use was unknown and the accident was still 16 years in the future. An early chapter is simply titled Notes Toward A Biography. The book also has a nice set of pictures in the center, typical of the period it was printed in.
.
6. Finally, The Art of Darkness is a well rounded look at King. It does not focus only on his family, upbrining, books or his movies, but covers it all in a comfortable space. The book is a precursor to the later "companion" style books -- all of which I like.
.
Written with real energy, Winter was an early voice on the scene calling for Stephen King to be taken more serious. The book has been updated at least once, but alas, there is no way for it to keep up with the volume of King's output. It is dated -- which I like.
.
Books By Douglas E. Winter:
The Art of Darkness (1984)
Faces of Fear (1985)
Splatter: A Cautionary Tale (limited edition, 1987)
Prime Evil (1988)
Darkness Absolute (limited edition, 1991)
Black Sun (limited edition, 1994)
Revelations (1997)
Run (2000)
Clive Barker: The Dark Fantastic (2002)
Introduction to Legal Writing (2003)
A Little Brass Book of Full Metal Fiction (limited edition, 2006)
.
LINKS:
For a really wonderful article on The Art Of Darkness as a "journey" follow this link:
http://www.davidlday.com/2009/09/24/stephen-king-the-art-of-darkness-night-journey/
.
Winter's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/douglasewinter
.
Winter in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_E._Winter
.
Interview with Winter on his book Run http://www.crimetime.co.uk/interviews/douglaswinter.html
.
This is an outstanding book.
.
1. Winter has a strong grasp of classic fiction. He doesn't try to sell King as little more than a pop-culture wonder boy, but compares him to classics. That's a joy. He discusses The Heart Of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad in his chapter on The Stand. By the way, I hated The Heart Of Darkness. So, better to let Mr. Winter tell me the connections than have to dig them out myself!
.
In trying to catagorize The Stand, he compares it to such works as that of J.R.R. Tolkien, E.R. Eddison and even Milton's Paradise Lost.
.
He notes, "Like Tolkien's popular The Lord Of The Rings, The Stand takes the form of a noble quest and employs a host of characters, some heroic, some darker and indeed monstrous." (55)
.
2. Winter had a working knowledge of King's unpublished works. In his chapter on The Mist, Winter gives mention to "I was a teenage grave robber" and "The Aftermath." He also discusses "Sword in the Darkness."
.
3. Winter is rightly able to compare King to popular culture, including the cult film Night of the Living Dead. I mention this, because it does take some skill to draw from both classic literature and modern films. But when discussing King, both are important.
.
4. The book is locked in time. Published in 1984, a fun quality about The Art of Darkness is that it gives us a look at King's early works without some of the clutter that must come with later reviews. It is not necessary to compare Cujo to Geralds Game. Or The Stand to Under The Dome. I like those things -- but it's refreshing to see how King was viewed early on.
.
Winter gives us glimpses at unpublished works that we now have. For instance, when this was written, Blaze and The Cannibals were both unpublished works. I recall King himself noting that he recently read The Art Of Darkness and what it said about the Cannibals. (see page 157-158 of The Art Of Darkness for his words on The Cannibals)
.
It's interesting to read his chapter "Always More Tales" to see what was yet to come -- stuff we now have. He lists: Skeleton Crew, IT, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Tommyknockers.
.
Winter writes, Both The Eyes of the Dragon and The Tommyknockers have seen complete first drafts; at least two other novels are underway, and King continues to contemplate his proposed sequal to 'Salem's Lot. And then there are the myriad afternoon projects -- what King likes to call his toys -- that he plays with after each morning of serious writing work:
.
"I almost never think of an audience. I've got things so ridiculous that I can't be thinking of an audience. They amuse me and I don't have any idea whether they would amuse anyone else or not."
.
A recent example is The Cannibals which King wrote in long hand during the filming of Creepshow, inspired by his living quarters in Monroeville Pennsylvania: "I've got about 450 pages done and it is all about these people who are trapped in an apartment building. Worst thing I could think of. And I thought, wouldn't it be funny if they all ended up eating each other? It's very very bizarre because it's all on one note. And who knows whether it will be published or not?"
.
To Stephen King it really doesn't matter if the Cannibals sees print. It is impossible to read his fiction without recognizing, in its energy, honesty, and utter lack of inhibition, that it is the product of an inner necessity."
.
I think Winter's book gives us a glimpse of a Stephen King my generation is likely to forget. The younger Stephen King who was still riding his way to the top of his craft.
.
5. The Art Of Darkness serves as an early biography. Of course, at that point, King's drug use was unknown and the accident was still 16 years in the future. An early chapter is simply titled Notes Toward A Biography. The book also has a nice set of pictures in the center, typical of the period it was printed in.
.
6. Finally, The Art of Darkness is a well rounded look at King. It does not focus only on his family, upbrining, books or his movies, but covers it all in a comfortable space. The book is a precursor to the later "companion" style books -- all of which I like.
.
Written with real energy, Winter was an early voice on the scene calling for Stephen King to be taken more serious. The book has been updated at least once, but alas, there is no way for it to keep up with the volume of King's output. It is dated -- which I like.
.
Books By Douglas E. Winter:
The Art of Darkness (1984)
Faces of Fear (1985)
Splatter: A Cautionary Tale (limited edition, 1987)
Prime Evil (1988)
Darkness Absolute (limited edition, 1991)
Black Sun (limited edition, 1994)
Revelations (1997)
Run (2000)
Clive Barker: The Dark Fantastic (2002)
Introduction to Legal Writing (2003)
A Little Brass Book of Full Metal Fiction (limited edition, 2006)
.
LINKS:
For a really wonderful article on The Art Of Darkness as a "journey" follow this link:
http://www.davidlday.com/2009/09/24/stephen-king-the-art-of-darkness-night-journey/
.
Winter's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/douglasewinter
.
Winter in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_E._Winter
.
Interview with Winter on his book Run http://www.crimetime.co.uk/interviews/douglaswinter.html
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