by Stephen King

Born in 1947, Stephen King came of age during an era in which many praised the achievements of science but also feared its potential for destruction. The author himself has noted that the tenor of American life at the time lent itself to horror fiction. Between the wonders of technology and the fears raised by the Cold War, potential terrors seemed to lurk around every comer. King has utilized these subconscious fears in his creation of a phenomenally successful body of horror fiction, of which Carrie was his first commercial triumph.

Events in History at the Time of the Novel

Modern American horror. Although it arose out of a long literary tradition, the modem American horror novel only emerged in the years following World War II. At this time, writers began to break from the gothic elements that had dominated horror writing in the past. Rather...