Stephen King, Carrie

Michael J. Meyer (DePaul University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1974

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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The first novel published by iconic horror writer Stephen King was entitled

Carrie

and appeared in 1974. It followed harrowing events experienced by the title character, Carrie White, a shy high school girl from Chamberlain, Maine. The book's experimental use of horrifying details that foregrounded sex and violence caused it to become one of the most frequently banned books in US secondary schools during the 80s and 90s. King had previously authored other novels, but

Carrie

was his first publication, a work that, according to the author, began as a short story motivated by a challenge to demonstrate his ability to construct a powerful female character as opposed to a macho masculine one. The result was Carrie, a misunderstood teen and social outsider who possesses telekinetic powers that…

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1444 words

Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "Carrie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 February 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12626, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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