Abstract

The Shining is one of the most successful works of Stephen Edwin King, an outstanding American Gothic novelist of the 20th century. This thesis begins with a brief introduction to the author and this novel, as well as Stephen King’s new Gothic world, and then focuses on the study of how King produces the Gothic atmosphere by analyzing the horrifying background, the Overlook Hotel, and the two main characters—Danny and his father Jack.

Key words: The Shining, Stephen King, background, characters

摘    要

《闪灵》是美国二十世纪著名恐怖小说大师斯蒂芬•金最为成功的作品之一。本文首先简要介绍了作者的生平、小说本身，以及斯蒂芬•金的新哥特主义，接着详细分析了金是如何通过背景瞭望饭店和两个主要人物丹尼及其父亲杰克来渲染恐怖气息，体现作品的哥特氛围的。

关键词：《闪灵》；斯蒂芬•金；背景；人物

1. Introduction
     Stephen Edwin King (1947—) is undoubtedly one of the most popular and prolific American writers in the world. By 2000, King had published more than sixty novels and several hundred of short stories, which is a miracle in the American publishing history. Most of his works, including novels and novellas, have become blockbusters once they were released and later became multi-million sellers. His works can also be frequently seen on the New York Times bestseller list. Besides books, other media forms such as movies, TV series and comics, have also won him an international fame, for the majority of his books have been translated into more than thirty languages and adapted to many great movies. Of his most well-known movies, Carrie, The Shining and The Shawkshank Redemption all received an overwhelming welcome in the screenland.
In 1979, when he was at the age of 32, he became one of the richest billionaire writers all over the world. His great success in the popular literary genres like horror stories and science fictions or thrillers earned him not only financial reward but also academic attention. In the 1970s, King was well reputed to be “Modern Master of Horror Fiction” by New York Times. And on 19th November, 2003, he was awarded a life-time achievement medal from the National Book Foundation for his disguised contribution to American Letters. This award indicates that King’s literary achievement has put him among the rank of great authors of America, such as Saul Bellow, Arthur Miller and Toni Morrison.