Stephen King as Litrachoor

We're definitely in guilty pleasure territory here--for the most part.  The critics, if Harold Bloom is any indication, have very mixed feelings about the Works of Stephen King.  Well, who cares, but I maintain that King's Dark Tower series is a genuine work of Litrachoor in the manner of Fryean High Romance, like Lord of the Rings or, less recently, Mallory's King Arthur tales...

That vein of Nancy Grace-style-POLICE GAZETTE trashiness in King's writing, with its emphasis on crime scene-ish gore, diseased body functions & fluids (in animals, people & Others), is muted, subordinated and well-integrated in the Dark Tower series--at least, so far. I'm only into the second of seven in the series. 

In fact, the high falutin' lingo in Tolkien seens a little too unrelenting sometimes--but it's part of the genre, so a body can't quibble too much--but King's streak of trashiness brings a refreshing touch of earthiness to the genre..

R.
 
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