King Got It Wrong

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm reading Stephen Kings treatise of horror writing, DANSE MACABRE. This is like my 3rd time around the track with this book.

In the book he offers some truths about horror writing: Number 1 is, people are obsessed about their mortality. No. You missed the boat, Stevie. That aint it at all.

People are obsessed about the mortality of their world.

Number 2: People are terrified of the opposite sex. No, wrong again. What scares the shit out of us is our ignorance of the other team and novel situations. Not knowing what to do next scares everyone. If you know what to do next nothing is much of a problem.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

King got one thing right: Every human on Earth is vigilant for The Mutant, and usually finds The Mutant in the other sex, other political party, other race, other team, etc.

 

[sr71plt]

I strongly disagree with you on the first. I think people do think of their own mortal lives with a lot more fear than about what's happening in the world. And I don't see any difference between King and what you pose on the second point.

 

[LadyVer]

I'm reading Stephen Kings treatise of horror writing, DANSE MACABRE. This is like my 3rd time around the track with this book.

In the book he offers some truths about horror writing: Number 1 is, people are obsessed about their mortality. No. You missed the boat, Stevie. That aint it at all.

People are obsessed about the mortality of their world.

Number 2: People are terrified of the opposite sex. No, wrong again. What scares the shit out of us is our ignorance of the other team and novel situations. Not knowng what to do next scares everyone. If you know what to do next nothing is much of a problem.

Makes sense to me, although I think King's idea and your idea about the first truth are kind of inter-related. When our own mortality ends, so does the world we knew.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Makes sense to me, although I think King's idea and your idea about the first truth are kind of inter-related. When our own mortality ends, so does the world we knew.

The difference is who goes into the lifeboats first.

 

[MrPezman]

hmmmm....

More than I fear my own mortality, way more, I fear what people might eulogize about me at my funeral. I want to make sure that, when I go, someone actually misses me.