The Appeal of Stephen King's The Shining Textual and Psychological Methods of Creating Fear ...

121 Pages·2016·0.88 MB·Finnish

The Appeal of Stephen King's The Shining
Textual and Psychological Methods of Creating Fear and Suspense
Pekka Antti Olavi Ruuskanen 180840
Master's Thesis
English Language and Culture
School of Humanities
University of Eastern Finland
ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO – UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND
Tiedekunta – Faculty Osasto – School
Filosofinen tiedekunta Humanistinen osasto
Tekijät – Author
Pekka Ruuskanen
Työn nimi – Title
The Appeal of Stephen King's The Shining – Textual and Psychological Methods of Creating Fear and Suspense
Pääaine – Main subject Työn laji – Level Päivämäärä – Date Sivumäärä – Number of pages
Englannin kieli ja kulttuuri Pro gradu -tutkielma X 6.4.2016 121
Sivuainetutkielma
Kandidaatin tutkielma
Aineopintojen tutkielma
Tiivistelmä – Abstract
Pro gradu -tutkielmassani käsittelen Stephen Kingin teosta The Shining (suom. Hohto). Stephen King on suosittu kirjailija, mutta hänen
teoksiaan on tutkittu akateemisessa kontekstissa ainakin hänen suosioonsa suhteutettuna varsin vähän. Minua kiinnostaa syy hänen
teostensa, erityisesti The Shiningin suosioon ja siksi analysoin kyseistä teosta ja tapoja, joilla teos pyrkii herättämään lukijan mielenkiinnon,
häivyttämään rajan todellisuuden ja kirjan fiktiivisen maailman välillä, sekä luomaan pelkoa ja jännitystä lukijassa vahvistaakseen
lukukokemusta ja loppuratkaisun luomaa nautintoa.
Johdanto-osiossa esittelen Kingiä koskevaa aiempaa tutkimusta sekä ristiriitaa, joka vallitsee aiemmin häneen kohdistuneen varsin
kriittisen tutkimuksen sekä yleisen suosion välillä. Aiempi tutkimus on usein todennut, etteivät Kingin teokset sisällä juuri mitään
omaperäistä mistä johtuen hänen suuri suosionsa kaipaa tarkempaa selvitystä. Parin viimeisimmän vuosikymmenen aikana on ilmestynyt
enemmän objektiivisempaa ja syvälle luotaavampaa tutkimusta Kingin teoksia kohtaan ja esittelen johdantoluvussa myös kaikista
ilmeisimpiä syitä hänen teostensa suosioon.
Kuten johdantoluvusta käy ilmi, Kingin teokset eivät sisällä juurikaan mitään omaperäistä, mutta tämä on tarkoituksellinen valinta. King
toteaa olevansa populaarikirjailija ja kuten hänen teoksiaan viime aikoina analysoineet tutkijat toteavat, hän yhdistelee useaa eri tyylilajia
sekä niiden konventioita muodostaessaan tarinoita, jotka käsittelevät nykypäivän ongelmia. Yleisellä tasolla The Shining voidaan luokitella
kuuluvaksi goottilaisen kauhukirjallisuuden tyylilajiin ja tarkemmin se edustaa kyseisen tyylilajin amerikkalaista ja modernia suuntausta,
esimerkiksi koska se sisältää yliluonnollisia voimia, mutta myös konkreettisempia uhkan ja väkivallan kuvauksia.
King käyttää teoksissaan realismin ja naturalismin konventioita muun muassa varsin yksinkertaisten henkilöhahmojen muodossa. Lisäksi
hän käyttää näiden tyylilajien konventioita luodakseen efektin, jota Roland Barthes nimittää todellisuusefektiksi. Tässä prosessissa kirjassa
mainittu näennäisen merkityksetön yksityiskohta vihjaa, että teoksen ja lukijan maailmat ovat itse asiassa sama todellisuus. King käyttää
näitä yksityiskohtia monessa muodossa: The Shining sisältää paljon viittauksia populaarikulttuurin teoksiin, oikeisiin henkilöihin sekä
tuotemerkkeihin.
Koska The Shining on goottilainen teos, koska pelko on olennainen osa gotiikkaa, ja koska pelon synnyttäminen on olennainen osa
prosessia, jolla lukukokemuksesta saadaan poikkeuksellisen vahva, on loogista että teoriaosio käsittelee myös gotiikkaa. The Shining
hyödyntääkin useita gotiikan konventioita, kuten esimerkiksi yliluonnollisen voiman riivaaman talon, haamuja sekä menneiden tekojen
luomaa syyllisyyden tunnetta. Näistä syistä esittelen lyhyesti gotiikan historian sekä suuntauksen keskeisimmät teemat ja teokset.
Käsittelen myös amerikkalaisen gotiikan keskeisiä kirjailijoita ja heidän teostensa teemoja, sillä The Shining sisältää paljon
samankaltaisuuksia esimerkiksi E.A. Poen teoksiin ja jopa suoria viittauksia niihin.
Yksi yleisimpiä tapoja analysoida goottilaista kirjallisuutta on psykoanalyyttinen kirjallisuusanalyysi. Sigmund Freudin tunnetuksi tekemä
käsite 'the uncanny', suomeksi 'pelottavalla tavalla outo' on yksi keskeisimpiä kauhukirjallisuuden analysointiin liittyviä käsitteitä ja siksi
analysoin teoksesta löytyviä käsitteen ilmentymiä. The Shiningin henkilöt: isä, äiti sekä heidän poikansa luovat myös erinomaisen pohjan
analysoida teosta Freudin luoman oidipuskompleksin käsitteen kautta. Freudin määritelmä on kuitenkin varsin seksuaalinen, ja koska The
Shiningissa henkilöhahmojen suhteet eivät ole erityisen seksuaalisia, käsittelen niitä Jacques Lacanin esittämän käsitteen kielellisen
tulkinnan pohjalta. Goottilaisten konventioiden ja realististen kuvausten lisäksi The Shining käsittelee modernin yhteiskunnan ongelmia
kuten alkoholismia, perheväkivaltaa, hulluutta sekä yhteiskunnan luomia taloudellisia ja sosiaalisia paineita ja niiden vaikutusta yksilöön.
Tästä syystä C.G. Jungin käsite kollektiivinen alitajunta sekä hänen teoriansa modernin yhteiskunnan luomien paineiden
vieraannuttavasta vaikutuksesta sopivat näiden ongelmien kuvausten ja niiden aiheuttaman pelon analysointiin.
Yhteenvetona, The Shining tarjoaa suhteellisen harvinaisen kuvauksen roiston mielestä ja ajatusmaailmasta, sekä prosessista joka synnyttää
tarinan roiston. Vaikka tämä ei olekaan millään tapaa ainutlaatuista, teoksen yksinkertaisen kielen ja populaarikulttuuriviittausten luoma
helppo lähestyttävyys ja tuttuus, todellisuusefektin, pelon ja jännityksen luoma poikkeuksellisen vahva lukukokemus sekä teoksessa
esitetyt lähtökohtaisestikin kiinnostavat tabuaiheet kaikki yhdessä lisäävät kirjan vetovoimaa ja selittävät miksi kriitikoiden ylistyksistä
huolimatta suuri yleisö viihtyy The Shiningin äärellä.
Avainsanat – Keywords
Stephen King, The Shining, Hohto, pelko, jännitys, kauhukirjallisuus, gotiikka, uncanny, Oidipuskompleksi, todellisuusefekti, Roland
Barthes, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Carl Jung, kollektiivinen alitajunta
ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO – UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND
Tiedekunta – Faculty Osasto – School
Philosophical Faculty School of Humanities
Tekijät – Author
Pekka Ruuskanen
Työn nimi – Title
The Appeal of Stephen King's The Shining – Textual and Psychological Methods of Creating Fear and Suspense
Pääaine – Main subject Työn laji – Level Päivämäärä – Date Sivumäärä – Number of pages
English language and culture Pro gradu -tutkielma X 6.4.2016 121
Sivuainetutkielma
Kandidaatin tutkielma
Aineopintojen tutkielma
Tiivistelmä – Abstract
In this pro gradu thesis, I analyse Stephen King's The Shining. King is a popular writer but his works have been studied relatively little, at
least in comparison to his popularity. I am interested in the reasons for his popularity, especially in the case of The Shining. Thus, I
analyse the novel by paying attention to the ways in which the novel engages the reader, blurs the line between reality and fiction, and
evokes the sense of fear and suspense in the reader in order to create an exceptionally strong reading experience and enjoyment at the
pivotal moment of the novel.
In the introduction, I introduce previous research conducted on King and his work, and the conflict that exists between this critical
academic discussion and his general popularity. As earlier studies have stated, King is an unoriginal writer. For this reason, the reasons
for his popularity should be investigated in more depth. During the last few decades more thorough investigations into the works of
King have increased, and in the introduction I also explain some of the more obvious reasons for his popularity.
As becomes obvious in the introduction, King is an unoriginal writer, but quite knowingly so. King admits to being a popular writer and
as academics who have studied his works more recently state, King combines several different genres and their conventions in forming
stories that discuss problems of the modern society. On a general level, The Shining can be considered a Gothic horror novel, but more
specifically the novel belongs to the genres of American and modern Gothic. This definition is supported by the fact that the novel
contains supernatural forces, but it also describes more concrete threats and features explicit descriptions of violence.
King uses realist and naturalist conventions in his writing by using, for example, stereotypical characters and conventions to create what
Roland Barthes defines as 'the reality effect': a seemingly mundane detail in the novel signifies reality and therefore suggests that the
fictional world of the novel belongs to the reality of the reader. King uses these details in various ways: The Shining includes a lot of
popular culture references as well as references to real people and brands. King also utilizes the reality effect by using several textual
methods such as bold text, italics, locution, and colloquialisms. These methods also blur the line between reality and fiction since, for
example, italics also carry acoustic power.
Since The Shining is a Gothic novel, since fear is an essential part of the Gothic, and since the creation of fear is an essential in creating
an exceptionally powerful reading experience, it is logical to introduce the Gothic. As mentioned earlier, The Shining utilizes several
Gothic conventions such as, for example the haunted house, ghosts, guilt created by past mistakes, and an aspiration for forbidden
knowledge. For these reasons, I discuss the origins of the genre, its main works and themes, and the central writers and themes of the
American Gothic since The Shining has a lot of similarities with, for example the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
One of the most common ways of analysing Gothic literature is through psychoanalytical literary analysis. ‘The uncanny’, a concept
popularised by Sigmund Freud is central in analysing horror literature. For this reason I analyse the representations of this concept in
the novel. The characters of the novel: a father, a mother, and their son also create an excellent basis for using another concept created
by Freud, 'the Oedipal complex'. However, his definition of the concept heavily focuses on sexual aspects and since the relationship
between the characters is not sexual, I discuss their relationship through a linguistic interpretation of the concept by Jacques Lacan. This
linguistic relationship also participates in creating the exceptionally powerful ending of the novel since vulgar language is contrasted with
peaceful and positive descriptions of the environment. In addition to Gothic conventions and realistic descriptions, The Shining discusses
problems that exist in modern society: alcoholism, domestic violence, insanity, and even an attempt at murder. Furthermore, the novel
discusses the economic and social pressures created by modern society, and the effects that these have on the individual. For this reason,
the concepts and theories provided by Carl Jung, especially the 'collective unconscious', alienation, and loss of self created by the
abovementioned pressures are also useful in the analysis of the fears created by these depictions.
In conclusion, The Shining provides a relatively rare and comprehensive insight into the mind of a villain, and into the process that creates
a villain. Although this is nothing unique, the easy approachability and familiarity achieved by simple language and popular culture
references, the exceptionally strong reading experience achieved by the reality effect and the presence of fear and suspense, and the
interesting taboo subjects presented in the novel all contribute to the popularity of The Shining and explain why, despite the lack of critical
acclaim, the general public enjoys reading the book.
Avainsanat – Keywords
Stephen King, The Shining, fear, suspense, popularity, horror literature, the Gothic, the uncanny, Oedipal complex, reality effect, Roland
Barthes, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Carl Jung, collective unconscious
Contents
1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................1
1.1. General Introduction........................................................................................................1
1.2. The Author and the Novel...............................................................................................7
1.3. The Reception of King's Works.......................................................................................8
1.4. King's Own Theory in Comparison to the Theoretical Framework...............................11
2. Theoretical Framework.........................................................................................................17
2.1. Realist and Naturalist Conventions in King's Writing...................................................18
2.2. The Gothic, American Gothic, and Their Major Themes..............................................23
2.3. Psychoanalytical Literary Analysis...............................................................................31
2.3.1. The Basics, the Uncanny, and the Oedipal Complex.............................................31
2.3.2. Linguistic and Social Aspects................................................................................37
2.3.3. Cultural Aspects and the Division of Self and Other.............................................40
3. Analysis.................................................................................................................................48
3.1. The Reality Effect and Suspense in The Shining..........................................................48
3.1.1. Signifiers of the Real.............................................................................................49
3.1.2. Creating Suspense Through Ambiguity.................................................................57
3.2. Gothic Conventions.......................................................................................................70
3.3. Manifestations of the Uncanny......................................................................................75
3.4. The Oedipal Complex and the Linguistic Breakdown..................................................82
3.5. Encountering the Other..................................................................................................96
4. Conclusion...........................................................................................................................107
Bibliography............................................................................................................................113
1. Introduction
1.1. General Introduction
Fear is one of the basic human emotions. Furthermore, fear is not only present in the behavior
of humans: also animals feel, and even sense, fear. Therefore, it can be said that fear is one of
the most primitive of emotions. It is one of the ways in which all beings instinctively protect
themselves from the dangers of their environment. In this introduction, two different
definitions for fear will be provided. First, a general definition of fear is provided by Gray,
who describes fear as "the same kind of behaviour that the man in the street would consider
'fearful' or 'frightened'" (2). As a more practical definition for fear, he continues to describe it
as "one form of emotional reaction to the threat of punishment, where a 'punishment' may be
operationally defined as any stimulus which members of the species concerned will work to
terminate, escape from, or avoid" (3). These two extracts provide the starting point for the
general definition of fear useful for the purposes of this thesis.
Second, since the focus of this work is on analysing a literary text, more specifically
the novel The Shining by Stephen King, it is important to emphasize the way in which the fear
induced through the means of communication differs from the general concept of fear.
Although all beings share the emotion of fear, humans are special in their ability to
extensively communicate to each other, and hence, they are unique in being able to evoke fear
in each other by the means of advanced communication. Fear can be communicated through
all media, whether it is by oral communication (a ghost story), visual communication (a horror
movie), or literary communication (a description of a frightening event or a horror novel).
Fear is generally considered a negative emotion: as people tend to avoid situations where they
are forced to confront it, and works of horror often refer to the negative qualities of humans,
1
the whole existence and especially the popularity of these works seems to come into question.
For this reason, it is important to point out that the fear experienced through the means
of communication is a contradictory emotion. This is explained by Carroll: "being in an
emotional state is invigorating and, if we don’t have to pay the price of the emotional state (in
the way, for example, that fear customarily requires danger), then we will view being in that
state as worthwhile" (167). Thus, this 'second-hand fear' experienced by the reader/viewer
must also contain an element of suspense, excitement, and satisfaction. This argument is
seconded by Holland-Toll who claims that "generally speaking, the reader of horror fictions
expects at least some of the following elements to surface: [...] emotional engagements of
terror, horror, or revulsion; and, of course, the paradoxical feeling of enjoyable terror" (4).
Thus, this definition of the fear induced in the reader, which at its best seems to be both
horrifying and exciting, will be used when referring to fear in this thesis. Moreover, since fear
is almost exclusively a quality of the horror genre—or the Gothic genre if considered in its
broad definition—and the whole genre derives its name from the emotion it induces, this type
of exciting fear is an essential part in justifying the study of the appeal of horror.
Today, works of fiction that aim to induce the emotion of fear in the audience are a
significant part of popular culture. For example, horror films are part of the mainstream of the
Hollywood movie industry and horror novels are regularly among the best-selling books.
Thus, it is obvious that there is a large demand for these products. Fear, as defined above,
surely explains part of the popularity of these works. Furthermore, it can be argued that
experiencing fear through popular culture is a way of facing and coming to terms with one's
own fears. As Davis notes: "In a world where horrors equal to or worse than those written are
a reality, it becomes essential to find that outlet, the one the horror novel provides, to escape
into a world somewhat similar where the reader is safe and the protagonist has a chance to
2
survive, often unlike the real world" (3). Furthermore, Navarette refers to the theories of
Darwin "[who] saw underlying physiological structures and systems, then, as providing for
the bodily transcription of fear. In this sense the human body [...] is precisely analogous to
certain literary texts, the underlying structures of which [...] script a fear that elicits a visceral
shudder and brings to the surface the reader's own sublimated impulses and instinctual
memories" (44). Therefore, as Navarette suggests, fear refers to something that is very human,
is instinctual, and is arguably present in all of us. Navarette refers to 'impulses and instinctual
memories', and thus agrees that fear is an emotion, which relates to the primitive side of
humans. This reference to primitive emotions is also supported by Grixti who points out that
"contemporary works of horror fiction [frequently] project and reinforce a set of assumptions
about the degenerative, diseased, and compulsive characteristics of this 'primitive tendency'"
(24). Davis, Grixti, and Navarette all seem to suggest that works of horror often project a
primal side of humans. In other words, these horrors are present in the life of the majority of
humans because of their primitive, perhaps even instinctive, quality. They are perhaps difficult
to cope with and they can, at least symbolically, be overcome in the works of fiction. Thus,
these works may contain a therapeutic and/or an introspective aspect for the reader.
However, one should avoid too general conclusions about the reasons for the
popularity of horror. As Grixti points out, works of horror fiction cannot "be taken as straight
blueprints of such elusive and impossibly generalized notions as those described in terms like
‘the collective unconscious’, [...] ‘mass culture’ or ‘mass consciousness’. For one thing, [...]
they cannot be claimed to cover anything like the majority, even of the so-called masses" (5).
Such claims would require a solid belief in a Jungian collective unconscious, which at its best
is just a theory among many others.
Thus, the aim of this thesis is not to draw generalized conclusions about the appeal of
3
horror. Instead, as Grixti continues, "the reading of works of popular fiction as reflectors and
affirmations of social and cultural realities remains valid and profitable" (5), and we need "to
recognize human fantasies (fearful or otherwise) as an important index of the concerns,
purposes, and understanding of reality which predominate in a particular context and time"
(22-23). Therefore, for the purpose of understanding contemporary culture, in which horror
fiction has become so popular, this thesis will try to investigate the various ways in which
works of horror cater for the desires of the reader. However, this thesis will not aim at creating
an all-encompassing theory about these methods. Instead, through a case study of The Shining
it offers a set of viewpoints that help explain the appeal of horror, more specifically the appeal
of the work in question. Since fear is the single most significant factor that sets horror
literature apart from other types of literature, it is logical to focus on the variety of ways in
which The Shining attempts to induce this emotion in the reader.
Furthermore, as an obvious choice for the investigation of the reasons for the
popularity of horror fiction, I have chosen to analyse the most popular writer of horror
literature, Stephen King. In fact, he is one of the most popular authors of all time, supporting
the argument of horror as a mainstream form of literature. To date, his books have sold more
than 350 million copies and many of his novels, such as Carrie, The Shining, Pet Sematary, It,
and The Green Mile, have been made into feature films, which have also become immensely
popular. Furthermore, a sensible choice for the analysis of the popularity of horror is one of
the most popular novels of Stephen King, and without a doubt one of the most well-known
modern works of horror, The Shining.
The novel was released in 1977 and it is King's third published book. The book
became a bestseller, but in 1980, when Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of the novel was
released, The Shining became one of the definitive classics of horror. Although the movie and
4
the novel share many qualities, they are two separate works. Since I am specifically interested
in exploring the reasons for the popularity of horror literature, and the emotions of fear and
suspense that these literary works attempt to induce, I will focus solely on the novel.
Hence, by selecting one of the most popular works of horror fiction as the subject of
my analysis, I will try to find reasons for the popularity of The Shining. I will study the
diverse ways in which the novel attempts to induce fear and suspense in the reader: I will state
the ways in which the narrative and stylistic choices of King create suspense, which in turn
increases the involvement of the reader and the possible fear and excitement experienced by
him/her. I will also argue that King's utilization of suspense, a predictable storyline, realism in
the form of relatively simple use of language, several informal ways of using language, and
the presence of mundane objects contribute to making The Shining an exceptionally easily
approachable and identifiable novel.
The structure of my thesis will be the following. In the introduction I will briefly
discuss the background of Stephen King and his works. I will also discuss their reception and
analysis, with a particular focus on the conflict which is evident in the academic and general
responses to his works. This introduces the obvious reasons for his popularity and establishes
the context of the academic analysis of King's literature. In the theoretical section of this
thesis I will introduce the function of realist and naturalist conventions in King's writing, and
also briefly introduce some of the ways in which he attempts to blur the line between reality
and fiction. I will also discuss the history of the horror genre as it applies to The Shining. I
will extend this introduction into the tradition of the Gothic since this will help in analysing
the ways in which The Shining utilizes several conventions of the Gothic. The last theoretical
section will introduce one of the most popular ways of explaining the popularity of horror,
i.e., psychoanalysis. Thus, in order to study the portrayal of the characters of The Shining, and
5
the threats present in the novel, I will introduce horror in the context of psychoanalysis,
focusing on the concept of the uncanny, the Lacanian interpretation of the Oedipal conflict,
and Jung's social theories.
In the analytical section of this thesis I will analyse the threats presented in the novel
through the abovementioned concepts and theories. In doing so, I will argue that the
ambiguity, and in the end the omnipotence of the threats, succeed in a way that if/when the
reader identifies with the novel, he/she experiences anxiety and fear of universal themes such
as alienation, the fear of the unknown, and a fear of losing one's self. At the cathartic moment
of the novel this sense of anxiety and fear transforms into a sense of gratification as these
threats are destroyed. Finally, on the basis of my analysis, I will summarise the ways in which
The Shining may appeal to the reader because of the simplicity of the surface level with its
abundance of popular cultural references, but also because the wide variety of underlying
threats presented in the novel serves as a way of addressing both subjective, universal, and
primitive fears. In other words, this thesis will argue that the popularity of The Shining derives
from the ways in which the novel utilizes realist, naturalist, and Gothic conventions, and
adapts them into the contemporary cultural context. Its popularity is also based on the ways in
which the novel addresses fears that exist for all humans, and subjects that are generally
considered taboo. As the novel does so from a villain's perspective, it may help the
reader understand the nature of evil behaviour in more depth. This is also supported by the
fact that the last chapter of the novel describes a peaceful setting, which may give hope for
the reader in surviving the struggles in his/her own life.
6