Jenifer Paquette is a visiting instructor at the University of South Florida.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      Literature: What Is It Good For?      Horror: Red-Headed Stepchild of Fiction      King Criticism: Or Lack Thereof      A Defense of Escapism      The Stand      The Tolkien Connection      One: The Set-Up      Small-Town America      The Military      99.4 Percent Communicability      The Media      Two: The Players      Ordinary People Can Make a Difference      Small-Town Maine: King’s Specialty      American Nice Guy      A Pawn in the Hands of Providence      Human Nature      The Sanctity of Innocence      Intellect Gone Awry      The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy      For Every Villain a Right-Hand Man      Evil Always Undoes Itself      In the Hands of a Demanding God      American Evil      Three: The Big Picture      Good vs. Evil: Dream a Little Dream      The Problem of Choice: Predestination or Poor Judgment?      The Stand: It’s the Journey That Counts      The Right to Govern      Hope vs. Despair: “Do people ever really learn anything?”      Four: The Nitty Gritty      Writing Style: “The Prose Is Indistinguishable”      Genre Choice: Today Is a Good Day to End the World?      Popular Appeal: The Kiss of Death?      Five: The Dark Tower Connections      Some New American Heroes      The Lady of Shadows      The Boy      Not in Kansas Anymore      Six: All God’s Chillun’ Should Stand      “The Body”: Ray Brower Meets a Train      IT: Clowns, Sewers, and Spiders      The Losers’ Club      IT’s Minions      “You Can’t Be Careful on a Skateboard”      Grown-Ups Are the Real Monsters      American Horrors      Dreamcatcher: Aliens, Old Friends, and Hunting Cabins      Horror Lives Everywhere Every Day      Last Stand      Final Thoughts      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index

Jenifer Paquette is a visiting instructor at the University of South Florida.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      Literature: What Is It Good For?      Horror: Red-Headed Stepchild of Fiction      King Criticism: Or Lack Thereof      A Defense of Escapism      The Stand      The Tolkien Connection      One: The Set-Up      Small-Town America      The Military      99.4 Percent Communicability      The Media      Two: The Players      Ordinary People Can Make a Difference      Small-Town Maine: King’s Specialty      American Nice Guy      A Pawn in the Hands of Providence      Human Nature      The Sanctity of Innocence      Intellect Gone Awry      The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy      For Every Villain a Right-Hand Man      Evil Always Undoes Itself      In the Hands of a Demanding God      American Evil      Three: The Big Picture      Good vs. Evil: Dream a Little Dream      The Problem of Choice: Predestination or Poor Judgment?      The Stand: It’s the Journey That Counts      The Right to Govern      Hope vs. Despair: “Do people ever really learn anything?”      Four: The Nitty Gritty      Writing Style: “The Prose Is Indistinguishable”      Genre Choice: Today Is a Good Day to End the World?      Popular Appeal: The Kiss of Death?      Five: The Dark Tower Connections      Some New American Heroes      The Lady of Shadows      The Boy      Not in Kansas Anymore      Six: All God’s Chillun’ Should Stand      “The Body”: Ray Brower Meets a Train      IT: Clowns, Sewers, and Spiders      The Losers’ Club      IT’s Minions      “You Can’t Be Careful on a Skateboard”      Grown-Ups Are the Real Monsters      American Horrors      Dreamcatcher: Aliens, Old Friends, and Hunting Cabins      Horror Lives Everywhere Every Day      Last Stand      Final Thoughts      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index

Jenifer Paquette is a visiting instructor at the University of South Florida.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      Literature: What Is It Good For?      Horror: Red-Headed Stepchild of Fiction      King Criticism: Or Lack Thereof      A Defense of Escapism      The Stand      The Tolkien Connection      One: The Set-Up      Small-Town America      The Military      99.4 Percent Communicability      The Media      Two: The Players      Ordinary People Can Make a Difference      Small-Town Maine: King’s Specialty      American Nice Guy      A Pawn in the Hands of Providence      Human Nature      The Sanctity of Innocence      Intellect Gone Awry      The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy      For Every Villain a Right-Hand Man      Evil Always Undoes Itself      In the Hands of a Demanding God      American Evil      Three: The Big Picture      Good vs. Evil: Dream a Little Dream      The Problem of Choice: Predestination or Poor Judgment?      The Stand: It’s the Journey That Counts      The Right to Govern      Hope vs. Despair: “Do people ever really learn anything?”      Four: The Nitty Gritty      Writing Style: “The Prose Is Indistinguishable”      Genre Choice: Today Is a Good Day to End the World?      Popular Appeal: The Kiss of Death?      Five: The Dark Tower Connections      Some New American Heroes      The Lady of Shadows      The Boy      Not in Kansas Anymore      Six: All God’s Chillun’ Should Stand      “The Body”: Ray Brower Meets a Train      IT: Clowns, Sewers, and Spiders      The Losers’ Club      IT’s Minions      “You Can’t Be Careful on a Skateboard”      Grown-Ups Are the Real Monsters      American Horrors      Dreamcatcher: Aliens, Old Friends, and Hunting Cabins      Horror Lives Everywhere Every Day      Last Stand      Final Thoughts      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index