Discussion of themes and motifs in stephen kings the shining. The overlook is a mixed bag of safe places and bad places. The shining is the story of jack torrance, who is employed as the caretaker of. Fiveyearold danny torrence and his parents, jack and wendy, are spending the winter at a resort high in the colorado mountains. The shinings 1980 hedge maze chase is one of the most iconic endings in horror history. Danny possesses the shining, psychic abilities that enable him to see into the hotels horrific past.
The shining s 1980 hedge maze chase is one of the most iconic endings in horror history. The sequence was so similarly intense in the book that i had to set it down. Not much was known of dicks early life, except that he likely was born in new hampshire. This hotel is extremely vital to the storyline and to the development of our characters.
The shining is two stories, both the same, but somehow very different. I am not going to go on and on about how frustrating it must be for someone of kings prolificity and stature to have people think that his best novel was written 22 years and 30some books ago. Shining definition is emitting or reflecting light. A mustread that inspired kubricks brilliant film is a literary masterpiece of the horror genre the film was one of the most frightening entertainment pieces i had ever experienced until i read the book. Nov 11, 2010 ive asked this in a couple different categories and cant get any answers so maybe i will have a bit of luck here. Ive asked this in a couple different categories and cant get any answers so maybe i will have a bit of luck here. The book reached the first position on the new york times best seller list for print and ebook fiction combined, hardcover fiction, and ebook fiction. The book is more psychologically disturbing, thrilling, and all of those are sprinkled with touches of spooks.
The shining summary a boys special perception and a possessed hotel interact with deadly results in the novel the shining by stephen king. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Doctor sleep is a 20 horror novel by american writer stephen king and the sequel to his 1977 novel the shining. May 15, 1990 the shining company spends a while setting things up, setting up the main her prose has the romantic quality that is prized but so rarely achieved in medieval literature. Haunted by a persistent writers block, the aspiring author and recovering alcoholic, jack torrance, drags his wife, wendy, and his gifted son, danny, up snowcapped colorados secluded overlook hotel after taking up a job as an offseason caretaker. As the offseason caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, hell have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his. This is a must for serious kubrick fans and psychology. Check out his first column below, exploring the shining. When analyzing a piece of literature for a paper or essay, youre basically looking for how and why. He was renowned for using supernatural events in many of his stories making them a mixture of horror, gloom, and fantasy. The shining, by stephen king, is slowly but surely changing that perception. The tone of the novel is very rough around the edges. The shining how a red book could explain everything. The most debated element of the shining s ending is the revelation in the final shot that jack is present in a photo of the overlooks fourth of july party in 1921.
Hardcover paperback trade kindle audio movie tv miniseries dvd. Drama analysis of the shining the shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by stanley kubrick. As somebody who is a massive fan of the movie, i was certain that i studied. Shining definition of shining by the free dictionary. In setting, we talk about how the 1945 and 1975 settings help turn the shining into, among many other things, an expression of postwar anxiety. He ended up having a role in a tv film two years later, but that was the extent of his acting career. The book was published by doubleday in january 28, 1977. Although he associates the hotel with luxury, he is somewhat defined by his role as its caretaker, a menial position. The shining is, like many early king novels, a study in isolation. The shining is a gothic horror novel by stephen king, first published in 1977. As a little boy he mentioned he could hold conversations with his paternal grandmother without either of them moving their lips. Stephen king uses these elements in his novel the shining alternating them to fit his needs. Movie, hell be taking a critical look at movie adaptations of horror novels. It is regarded in some quarters as kings best book.
The setting and characters are influenced by kings personal experiences, including both his visit to the. Stephen kings the shining, published in 1977, is a horror novel. It essentially combines the stabilized steady footage of a regular mount with the fluidity and flexibility of a handheld. This classic novel is arguably kings most famous story and piece of literature. Setting for the shining we have 1 answer for the clue setting for the shining. Identify how the setting of the shining influences. Setting definition of setting by the free dictionary. Get an answer for identify how the setting of the shining influences the actions of its characters. Can someone help me summarize for stephen kings novel the shining. The story of this film is based off the book, the shining by stephen king. The setting is the overlook, a palatial resort on a colorado mountain top, snowbound and closed down for the long, long. The overlook hotel seems to be just what the doctor ordered for jack.
When i was in high school one of my teachers told me it was the scariest book he ever read, and after one part he threw the book across the room and slept with the lights on. The shining takes its name from the special power that danny has for seeing things that other people cant and for communicating without using his mouth. Despite these shortcomings, torrence starts out a decent family man. Jack torrance, his wife wendy, and their young son danny move into the overlook hotel, where jack has been hired as the. The shining was among the first halfdozen films after the films bound for glory, marathon man, and rocky, all released in 1976, to use the newly developed steadicam, a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera, which mechanically separates the operators movement from the cameras, allowing smooth tracking shots while the operator is moving over an uneven surface. Word choices, sentence structure, dialogue, metaphor, simile, hyperbole. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the shining by stephen king. Its difficult to set a price on a book when you dont know its value.
The shining is a horror novel by american author stephen king. And there is good reason for viewers to puzzle over the film 33 years after its release. In the shining, socioeconomic class is presented as an underlying motive for jacks descent into madness. The final, terrible shot of jack on the ground, his frozen face forever stuck in its maniacal, upwardlooking openmouth gaze, instantly freezes itself into the brain of. The shining, even though might not be the one to deliver an extremely frightening tale, it manages to provide us a pool of drama, thrills, disturbance, and everything you could think of in a good horror story for us to dive into. The setting is the overlook, a palatial resort on a colorado mountain top, snowbound and closed down for the. While expressing true kubrick style, the films utilisation of the temporal and spatial uncanny is developed both through narrative and formal techniques and as a result generates. Mark adderley the shining company is a very compelling book, and extremely moving as it reaches its conclusion. Alcoholism in the shining essay 620 words bartleby. Lets take a close look at some of the characters in stephen kings the shining. The hotel will soon close for the winter, but cant be left unattended. His alcoholism and short temper are the themes running throughout the novel.
Hallorann is the actual person who puts a name to this power, as he tells danny. Im beginning to be faintly irritated with the way in which sutcliff treats christianity in her. The main character jack torrance is a violent, recovering alcoholic who has broken his son, dannys arm while drunk before. Fans of the shining or any of stanley kubricks movies understand the importance the director placed on minor details. Richard dick hallorann was a man who had the rare shining ability, an ability he had also shared with his grandmother. A presold prefab blockbuster, what with kings carrie hitting the moviehouses, salems lot being lensed, the shining itself sold to warner bros. King does a good job in all of his books to keep a relatively gloomy sensation while reading them. The shining stephen kings novel gives us more background and detail into the character of jack torrence than does the film. Jack torrances new job at the overlook hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. Setting should be used at the end of the story to help explain the resolution. The haven foundation if you like the idea of stephen king giving you money so you can write some books, this is the website youve been looking for.
The shining is a novel published in 1977 by stephen king, a wellknown american author. The shining example of gothic settings ive talked a lot about the gothic setting so far seems to be the theme ive picked for the semester. Published in 1977, it is kings third published novel and first hardback bestseller. Eclipsed perhaps only by its 1980 film adaptation, the novel is one of the most popular and enduring horror stories of all time. Doctor sleep won the 20 bram stoker award for best novel the novel was adapted into a film of the same name. The book was followed in 20 by the sequel doctor sleep.
The film is based on stephen kings 1977 novel of the same name and stars jack nicholson, shelley duvall, scatman crothers, and danny lloyd. The colour red, for example, figures prominently in both stories. Stanley kubricks the shining was released in 1980, and since has been hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. As the cavernous hotel shuts down for the season, the manager gives jack a grand tour, and the. It give us an idea of something magical, but also scary since its king. Examples of foreshadowing in the novel the shining. The storys main character, jack torrance, struggles from this issue due to his troubled past regarding an abusive and alcoholic father as well as his. How does the ending of the shining differ from stephen king. The shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by stanley kubrick and cowritten with novelist diane johnson. Explain how the author used the above elements of a. The shining is a great example of stanley kubrick twisting stephen. Ive mentioned that the gothic setting, as an element of horror, seems to have four requirements that ive noticed. The shining company by rosemary sutcliff goodreads. Setting should be used when there are new characters.
Some main areas where the story take place include, room 217, the living quarters, the boiler roomcellar, the ballroom, the playgroundtopiary, the shed, and the presidential suite. The setting takes place at the overlook hotel in the mountains of colorado in the winter of 1975. Im beginning to be faintly irritated with the waymore the shining company is a very compelling book, and extremely moving as it reaches its conclusion. Seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows. The shining book vs movie all the differences between the two. He knows jacks going to be stuck at the overlook alone for the dreariest months of the year. Setting should be used in the beginning of the story, when there are new events in the story line, or when the reader needs information to understand the plot. The final, terrible shot of jack on the ground, his frozen face forever stuck in its maniacal, upwardlooking openmouth gaze, instantly freezes itself into the brain of anyone who witnesses it. Now we can talk about the temporal setting of the novel.
May 31, 20 the documentary room 237 has been called a diy mashup of the many theories put forward over the years as interpretations of stanley kubrickss 1980 horror classic, the shining. It deals with many of kings recurring themes, including alcoholism. This is the story of both kings 1977 novel and stanley kubricks film. Oct 28, 2018 the shining seemed to introduce a promising child star in dan lloyd. I didnt believe him that a book could be scary until i was in the bathtub and i started reading the part about the woman in 217 and the shower curtain brushed up against me.
The position, direction, or way in which something, such as an automatic control, is set. Stephen king characters wendy torrance she is jacks wife. Seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows kubrick. The shining tends to be opaque, even though its corridors are welllit. Film psychology the shining spatial awareness and set. Her gullible nature, her compassion for danny and her husband seems to be her only flaws. These elements have been used in a variety of ways in different aspects books films short stories even today. Walpoles novel contains many of the features that define the core of the gothic, for example the feudal historical and architectural setting, the deposed noble. The overlook hotel claimed the most beautiful physical setting on any resort in the world.
The setting and characters are influenced by kings personal experiences, including both his visit to the stanley hotel in 1974 and his recovery from alcoholism. Essay on the shining by stephen king 829 words bartleby. The hotel cook, dick hallorann crothers, also has this. The officious little in the first chapter doesnt wanna hire jack. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The novel was adapted into a 1980 film of the same name and later followed by a sequel, doctor sle. The shining, a novel written by stephen king followed by a film directed by stanley kubrick in 1980 is a horrorthriller narrative filled with many mysteries of its own. The japanese lanterns on hand at the 1945 masquerade ball contribute to that argument.
Which means there might be a few references that dont entirely make. Although he is a loving and caring father, he occasionally looses his temper and physically hurts danny. The classic elements were invented by horace walpole in 1764 in his novel the castle of qtranto. It deals with many of kings recurring themes, including alcoholism, domestic. She uses anecdotes and side stories to develop her characters, giving little examples of their character so that by the time the danger comes around, they feel fleshedout. Alcoholism in the shining in the shining, written by steven king, the reader is exposed to an issue that a lot of families face in the real world that of which is alcoholism.
Firmly situated in the working class, jack begins the film unemployed, and we meet him at a job interview. I recently found what is arguably the most exhaustive. The book, the shining, is a literary masterpiece written by stephen king. Kevs stephen king house of the shining charnel house. The shining is the third book published by stephen king. The shining setting stephen king this study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the shining. The official website of stephen king this site is a great resource for all things king.
However, kubricks adaptation of the shining deviates from kings novel. When we apply this to what we know about the novels definition of shining, it seems to suggest that this heightened sense of knowing is something natural as opposed to something induced by human beings, or something from a realm outside of nature. Glare refers to the shining of a light that is not only bright but so strong as to be. The shining begins with jack torrance being interviewed for the caretakers job at the overlook hotel. In the shining, the main setting is the overlook hotel. There is one particularly notable example of situational irony in the shining. Jun 22, 2012 the shining is two stories, both the same, but somehow very different. The tension felt when jack jack nicholson chases danny danny lloyd through the hotel grounds is incredible. The present action is set in the fall and winter of 1975, a truly defining year in us.
240 983 1268 40 1433 1382 1059 803 746 212 1167 752 641 191 1539 605 1096 361 1101 366 1471 510 847 174 1124 64 376 894 751 288 984 959 451 1118 853 1129