(January 6, 2015 at 12:06 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: In writing, plot and character are everything -- and sketching out a character with words is an art unto itself. I disagree that his delivery is pedestrian, as well -- there are moments when his writing is perfectly electric with energy.
I think he's considered pulp because he writes two or three books a year, and sells them by the boatload.
Plot and character aren't everything in literature. They are two of the main three creative parts of a literary work, the third being composition. When people are considering what is and isn't a great work of literature, they evaluate it by using those components as criteria. Stephen King's composition just isn't on par with many other authors, and that is why many people consider him pulp.
The energy that comes from Stephen King's writing is due to the well-crafted characters and intriguing plot. His composition(which admittedly is intertwined with how you craft your characters, so he does have some skill there) doesn't really elicit much reaction. It's plain and straight forward, which is not what people are looking for when people are determining what is great literature.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
