Danse Macabre by Stephen King. Short summary

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A popular science work by the author, based on his university lectures on «Peculiarities of Supernatural Literature. A veritable guide to the world of horror.

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In the book, the author talks about the horror genre itself in simple, accessible language. The book is based on Stephen King’s lectures from several university courses he taught in the 1970s. The work is largely autobiographical.

King divided the material into several parts: it’s autobiographical background, horror in literature, and horror in film. The last, reference part contains a personal selection of books and films that the writer considers most important and iconic for understanding the genre as a whole.

In the first part, the writer discusses what led him to the horror genre, how he first knew fear, and for what reason.

In the second part, King discusses several iconic horror works that have had a major influence on the entire genre. The author highlights his favorite writers.

In part three, the writer talks about his favorite horror movies and tries to answer the question of how movies differ from text and how they affect the viewer.