Stephen King Influences

Superior Essays
Stephen King

Stephen King is an author of horror fiction that has made a significant impact on the horror genre with his novels. In his childhood, he was introduced to horror in various medias and developed his own fears. In his years of education, he became more and more interested in horror novels and his determination for success was inevitable. His work throughout his life gave horror a new standard. King is known for his career, his novels, and his influence on the world with his love for horror.
First, Stephen King discovered his knack for horror stories as a child when he spent a lot of his time reading. Stephen’s father, Donald E. King, was a merchant sailor (World History in Context). His mother was Nellie Ruth Pillsbury. On September
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Stephen met Tabitha Spruce at the university, where she had a position as a library worker. She impressed him with her poetry and King started to fancy her (Whitelaw 44). Subsequently, he married Tabby on January 2nd, 1971 (Whitelaw 48). After college, King was unsuccessful in finding a job teaching as he had planned (Whitelaw 48). In the summer of 1973, the family moved south due to his mother’s failing health (StephenKing.com). There, he published several novels before Ruth died of cancer at age 59 (StephenKing.com). The family struggled to provide enough money for the family. Occasionally, they made money writing articles for men’s magazines. King was a laborer at an industrial laundry for a long period of time while he searched on for a teaching position (StephenKing.com). In 1971, Stephen and Tabby had their first baby, Naomi. Following the birth of their daughter, Hampden Academy offered Stephen a teaching job for literature and creative writing (Whitelaw 51). One year after Naomi, the couple had another child, Joseph (Whitelaw …show more content…
He’s currently sixty-eight and throughout his career he sold more than 350 million copies worldwide (Stephen King Biography). Many of his novels were later turned into successful films (Stephen King Biography). The King Family currently divides their time between Florida and Maine. King’s son, Joseph Hillstrom, became associated with horror as well (Stephen King Biography). Stephen and Tabby King currently have three children and four grandchildren (Stephen King Biography). Stephen is now working on several novels that will publish later this year.
In summation, Stephen King had an interesting life and his heart for suspense lead him to a life of success. King derived his first ideas of horror from his early exposure to late-night talk shows and films. Following his childhood, his education was a major key to improving his talent for writing and allowed him to succeed. His work has impacted the lives of many readers and has changed the suspense genre forever. Stephen King is known for his career, his novels, and the way he affected horror fiction with his love for horror. The writer influences his audience through inflicting feelings of fear and

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