Is it wrong to read Stephen King now?

[cantdothisnow1]

I agree with JKR not SK on the issue of whether it is possible to change sex. I am horrified at the abuse that JKR has received and believe that trans rights should never be at the expense of women and girls.

I recently read a Stephen King book and enjoyed it and posted about enjoying it on a book thread on here. Someone suggested I shouldn't be reading Stephen King because of his views.

Surely this is just as bad as people trying to erase JKR for her views and does women's rights no good? Am i missing something, am I wrong for enjoying these books?

Fucking hell it's not like he's come out as a paedophile is it? Just because he has an opposing viewpoint doesn't mean you have to boycott him.

You might as well get on a rocket to Mars because, guess what, the people who run the country probably don't have the same viewpoint as you.

Are you going to research the views of every person who made every single thing you consume on a daily basis? If so, are you going to boycott things made by racists or anti-semites or those descended from slave owners, for example, or is it just the trans thing that you really can't stand?

I'm firmly GC and pretty open about it in my real life. I love Stephen King's books and have no problem reading them. If he wrote a book about gender and trans rights then i might give it a miss, or read and then write an honest review on goodreads etc. But otherwise no, authoring is his job, his political views are separate. I also enjoy the Smiths and early Morrissey music whilst thinking Morrissey the man is an absolute arse. I like Lionel Shriver's novels whilst thinking some of her views are pretty awful. I don't want to tar a person's entire life and body of work because they have views i disagree with or disapprove of, even if they are vocal about them.

Of course it’s not ‘wrong’. I disagree with him but I disagree with most of my friends on this subject too! It’s irritating and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when someone you admire and enjoy the work of is fundamentally opposed to you, but it doesn’t make them a terrible person worthy of boycotting.

Nothing will take the shine off Christine, You Know They’ve Got One Hell Of A Band or Rage for me, so yeah, Art from Artist here

Yep

Probably won’t go out of my way to buy in hardback as i agree his later work doesn’t interest me enough

I don't read his books because I don't enjoy child abuse/torture or the glorification of the rape of women as a plot device. He writes full well knowing there is a seriously fucked up audience of abusers out there who get off on it.

@MarDhea

It's not a dichotomy for me.

I think less of Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman as people for signing a public letter that does little more than chant slogans. I still enjoy their works. It's been the case for years that I love Margaret Atwood's books, but cringe whenever I hear or read her in interview because her views seem so absolutist and poorly thought out - not at all what I would have suspected from her books.

But there are other writers whom I have grown to despise for their TRA-esque views, where they gleefully join in with terf-bashing on Twitter and in interviews. NK Jemisin is one, Cory Doctorow another. I can't enjoy their works any more both because I'm reminded of the above and because their TWAW, virtue-cookie-hunting views have leached into their books.

So enjoy SK all you want if he hasn't crossed a line of revulsion for you. You'll know what that line is if you hit it!

I'm really sad to hear that about NK Jemisin. I really enjoyed The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms recently and planned to read more.

Read what you like, it's a story you're reading, not his views.

I think less of him, but I still enjoy his books (my username is from IT).

I personally think it would be childish to get rid of every book I have of his and never read anything by him again. I get enjoyment from them, so I'd just be spiting myself, and either way he isn't going to be affected at all so 🤷‍♀️

Well, I disagree with JKR on this issue but I still read her books. It's your decision to make really.

I remain baffled by SK's position, because I think that he has possibly the best grasp of human nature of any author I've ever read. He captures both its heights of beauty and its depths of depravity. I also think that in general his writing of female characters is remarkably nuanced (I understand that he does a lot of checking with his wife to see if he's getting stuff right).

He does openly say how well written and good he thinks JKR's books are though, and won't back down on that. I'm not going to stop reading his.

Are you going to research the views of every person who made every single thing you consume on a daily basis? If so, are you going to boycott things made by racists or anti-semites or those descended from slave owners, for example, or is it just the trans thing that you really can't stand?

I do think when it comes to supporting living writers I can't help but be swayed by what I hear about them sometimes, whereas long dead writers like say HP Lovecraft are not directly benefiting from people buying their stuff. I own a David Starkey book and I'll keep it and might even read it again but I wouldn't buy anything new of his now. Not some huge boycott of anyone but when you have a such large choice out there, I am able to get a similar thing from someone else.

With the womens rights thing, I am not going to avoid someone for having a different view, but those who have gone out of their way to insult women or be rude or abusive I don't want to support.

@RadicalFern

I remain baffled by SK's position, because I think that he has possibly the best grasp of human nature of any author I've ever read. He captures both its heights of beauty and its depths of depravity. I also think that in general his writing of female characters is remarkably nuanced (I understand that he does a lot of checking with his wife to see if he's getting stuff right).

He does openly say how well written and good he thinks JKR's books are though, and won't back down on that. I'm not going to stop reading his.

You see I don't think that he can possible believe in what he says and write in the way that he does. The book that I was referring to was 11.22.63 and the way he writes his female characters (at least in this book - its the only one I've read btw) , and about the relationships between the characters generally is far too nuanced for me to really believe he means what he said.

I think for him (and for a lot of others) it's about wanting to avoid the cancel culture that JKR (and others) have experienced which is really weak.

It's up to you what you read. I've never read Stephen King or Neil Gaiman (really not my kind of thing) so that's not a problem. I used to love Margaret Atwood but will never read her again. That isn't the same as cancelling her - I don't want her thrown off prize shortlists, or abandoned by her publishers, or for people to burn her books, or anything like that. I just can't bring myself to read someone who has so comprehensively thrown women under the bus. To me, it feels like reading someone anti-Semitic. I just feel a huge moral revulsion.

I'm still a fan, I like a lot of his books and a few are re reads.

But the person will always now be a shit stirring coward. There was no need for what he did in the first place. It was nasty and I don't have any respect for him.

Stephen King is my all time favourite author, I own every single one of his books, every single one.

For me it wasn’t so much that he said ‘TWAW’ as the way he did it- like pulling the rug out from JKR - that made me think less of him. Whether knowingly or unknowingly he gave TRAs a perfect chance to crow.

I will continue to read his books, but unfortunately I probably won’t enjoy them as much. This is totally my problem, I am unable to completely separate the art from the artist, and in the end it’s only me that it hurts.

I think for him (and for a lot of others) it's about wanting to avoid the cancel culture that JKR (and others) have experienced which is really weak

I wonder if there is someone close to him who really buys into activist narrative. Kind of like when Jonathan Ross jumped back because of his daughters.

I think SK is past his prime but would read his older stuff as some of it is amazing.
I probably won’t read Atwood again, not because of her unacceptable views, but she comes across as muddled and confused in recent interviews, and seems to struggle to make any points of merit.
I read one piece headed, if you speak truth to power make sure it’s the truth.
Considering the current situation on... everything, you could imagine she had some rich insights, but it was just a mishmash of pc boringness.

think for him (and for a lot of others) it's about wanting to avoid the cancel culture that JKR (and others) have experienced which is really weak

There's was no need for him to even speak up in the first place though. He could have stayed under the radar. He poured a load of fuel on a fire that was burning hot and fierce and made things worse.

He's a shit stirrer.

The thing that gets me is that his daughter is a lesbian, maybe he hasn’t heard of the cotton ceiling?

I enjoy his work and I'll continue to read it whilst I enjoy what he writes..
His personal views don't interest me.

I've never read a Stephen King book and I never thought Joanne Harris's books were much good so their recent shenanigans make no difference. Having said that, I have started buying/reading JK Rowling's books recently.

So I am anti cancel culture, but in a positive way.

More seriously, I am trying to teach my children that you need to separate the art from the artist. There are so many great artists with decidedly dodgy POVs.

Can I enjoy a book written by someone who's made himself look like a twit by something he's said?

Yes, if I like the book. I'm not considering dating him, it's not like I have to have any kind of interaction with him outside of the book. If I could only select my bookshelf by interviewing the author to check our compatibility of views, I'd probably be down to Fly Fishing by JR Hartley.

It's absolutely fine for a poster to declare that they wouldn't read a particular author and why. They are making a statement about their own decisions and feelings.

There's a hell of a difference between saying "I don't do this because..." and "You shouldn't do this because..." That didn't happen.

And there's a still greater difference between an opinion and stating that a person is "cancelled" or should die in a fire. That's where the problem is.

@EyesOpening

No-one else can tell you what you can and can't read, it's entirely up to you! If you don't however, want to line his pockets, you could always try searching charity shops for his books and they'd benefit instead or the library, where he'd get a much smaller amount

I meant to add that it probably won’t affect him much either way anyway, it’ll only be you affected so if you’d enjoy them, no need to stop out of any obligation

I was a huge fan of his for years I have alllll his books (except cycle of the werewolf) but I realised earlier this year that I haven't picked up some if these books for 15 years im not actively looking out for his books to come out anymore and I might even donate some to charity because I'm just not reading them the dark tower series was my favourite till the last book I bought it on the day of issue and not read it since and dunce that series ended something has been missing from his writing (in my opinion) him signing a piss poor letter full of cliché has just made me feel sadder about him on a personal level if his writing was still appealing to me I would still buy it but....tastes change and he just doesn't appeal anymore

My world has moved on and I've left him behind