STEPHEN KING’S CREATIVE ACTIVITY

The higher the popularity of Stephen King's work, the more the reader's interest in the writer's life increases. In a number of publications, we can find a lot of biographical information about the writer. George Beamh's work "Stephen King: America's Best Loved Boogeman" contains information that deserves attention about King's personal life, about his childhood, formation and creative path.

Critics note that S. King studied the literary skills of such American writers as Carlos Williams, Shirley Jackson, and was inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Howard Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury. He was also influenced by American writers such as Richard Matheson and John MacDonald.

The purpose of the article is to examine the work of Stephen King through the critical articles of literary critics.

Many authors view King as a writer of the "horror genre". I would like to mention several works. Brian Docherty in his work "American Horror Fiction: From Brockden Brown to Stephen King" analyzes the traditions of the genre of "horror" in American literature, and considers the place of S. King in this genre. James Egan, in "A Single Powerful Spectacle: Stephen King's Gothic Melodrama," examines King as a follower of the Gothic tradition, coming from writers such as Marie Shelley and Brem Stoker-the authors of Frankenstein and Dracula, respectively. [2, р. 48]

One of the most significant critics of King's works is Tony Magistral. He wrote four fundamental works that cover almost all of the writer's work: "The Dark Descent: Essays Defining Stephen King's Horrorscope", "The Moral Voyages of Stephen King", " Landscape of Fear: Stephen King’s American Gothic», «Stephen King the Second Decade, Danse Macabre to The Dark Half».

In the work "Landscape of Fear: Stephen King's American Gothic " critic focuses on King's social critique of modern America, its values and identity. The author believes that the horror of Stephen King has political and social overtones and reflects the public's concern about the vulnerability of Western institutions, bureaucracy, public organizations and family relations. In another work, The Moral Voyages of Stephen King, Tony Magistral elaborates on King's writing style and technique, analyzes the most frequently repeated elements of his works, and focuses on moral issues, concepts of good and evil. Tony Magistral opposes the "snobbish" literary critics who refuse to view King as a serious writer. According to the critic, if King uses popular themes, he does it with skill. Often, according to Magistral, King's critics concentrate on the supernatural phenomena in his works, ignoring all other problems expressed by the writer. [2, р. 76]

A fairly objective assessment of the work of S. King is given in the works of Joseph Raynaud, Edward Zagorsky and Sharon Russell. D. Raynaud focuses primarily on the initial stage of the writer's work, paying close attention to his ability to create psychological portraits and character traits of characters. E. Zagorsky looks for a dualistic beginning in the work of Stephen King and tries to justify the importance of studying his work in educational institutions. Sharon Russell, on the other hand, focuses on the later work of S. King.

Serious and objective scientist Michael Collins, who studies the works of Stephen King, published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, believes that the writer is not only an author of science fiction and "horror", but also a master of serious novels, scripts and short stories. A significant study of the work of Stephen King was presented by the writer Douglas Winter, a critic and close friend of his, who believes that King continues the tradition of Shakespeare. A close analysis of the writer's work was conducted by K. Spruce, J. Beam, T. Underwood and many others.

Many researchers claim that Stephen King adheres to the traditions of William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Mark Twain and other writers. The link between the works of these writers, on the one hand, and Stephen King, on the other, is the identity of the problems raised in them. Of course, this does not mean that it can be immediately put on a par with the classics, but it can not be ignored. And here it would be appropriate to quote the critic Bernard Gallagher: "I do not mean that with. King may take the place of Shakespeare, but, nevertheless, I actually believe that such a cultural phenomenon deserves research" [1, p. 35].

Over the past four decades, Stephen King's books have made his name the most recognizable on the planet. He is a unique writer. It is read by teenagers and adults, women and men – all who seek to better understand themselves and others, as well as the changing and unpredictable world in which we live.

References:

1. Попов, Д.А. Творчество Стивена Кинга как художественное воплощение психоаналитических идей/ Д.А. Попов // Мир науки, культуры, образования. – 2014. – №2 (45). – URL: https://elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_21507175_10988442.pdf
2. Тлеупова, А.М. Роль творчества С. Кинга в мировой литературе [Текст] / А.М.Тлеупова // Филологические науки в России и за рубежом: материа- 69 лы Междунар. науч. конф. (г. Санкт-Петербург, февраль 2012 г.). – СПб: Реноме, 2012. – С. 123