ERIC ED414606: Reading Stephen King: Issues of Censorship, Student Choice, and Popular Literature.

247 Pages·1997·4.9 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CS 216 137
ED 414 606
Power, Brenda Miller, Ed.; Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Ed.;
AUTHOR
Chandler, Kelly, Ed.
Reading Stephen King: Issues of Censorship, Student Choice,
TITLE
and Popular Literature.
National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL.
INSTITUTION
ISBN-0-8141-3905-1
ISBN
1997-00-00
PUB DATE
NOTE
246p.
National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon
AVAILABLE FROM
Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock No. 39051-0015: $14.95
members, $19.95 nonmembers).
Opinion Papers (120)
Collected Works - General (020)
PUB TYPE
MF01/PC10 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Censorship; Critical Thinking; *Fiction; Literature
DESCRIPTORS
Appreciation; *Popular Culture; Public Schools; Reader
Response; *Reading Material Selection; Reading Programs;
Recreational Reading; Secondary Education; *Student
Participation
*Contemporary Literature; Horror Fiction; *King (Stephen);
IDENTIFIERS
Literary Canon; Response to Literature; Trade Books
ABSTRACT
This collection of essays grew out of the "Reading Stephen
in 1996. Stephen King's
King Conference" held at the University of Main
books have become a lightning rod for the tensions around issues of including
"mass market" popular literature in middle and 1.i.gh school English classes
and of who chooses what students read. King's fi'tion is among the most
popular of "pop" literature, and among the most controversial. These essays
spotlight the ways in which King's work intersects with the themes of the
literary canon and its construction and maintenance, censorship in public
schools, and the need for adolescent readers to be able to choose books in
"Reading
school reading programs. The essays and their authors are:
(1)
"I Want
Stephen King: An Ethnography of an Event" (Brenda Miller Power);
(2)
"King and Controversy in
to Be Typhoid Stevie" (Stephen King);
(3)
Classrooms: A Conversation between Teachers and Students" (Kelly Chandler and
"Of Cornflakes, Hot Dogs, Cabbages, and King" (Jeffrey D.
others);
(4)
"The 'Wanna Read' Workshop: Reading for Love" (Kimberly Hill
Wilhelm);
(5)
"When 'IT' Comes to the Classroom" (Ruth Shagoury Hubbard);
Campbell);
(6)
"If Students Own Their Learning, What Do Teachers Do?" (Curt
(7)
"Disrupting Stephen King: Engaging in Alternative
Dudley-Marling);
(8)
"Because
Reading Practices" (James Albright and Roberta F. Hammett);
(9)
Stories Matter: Authorial Reading and the Threat of Censorship" (Michael W.
"King in the
(10) "Canon Construction Ahead" (Kelly Chandler);
Smith);
(11)
(12) "King's Works and the At-Risk Student:
Classroom" (Michael R. Collings);
(13) "Reading the
The Broad-Based Appeal of a Canon Basher" (John Skretta);
(14) "When
Cool Stuff: Students Respond to 'Pet Sematary'" (Mark A Fabrizi);
Reading Horror Subliterature Isn't So Horrible" (Janice V. Kristo and
"One Book Can Hurt You...But a Thousand Never
Rosemary A. Bamford);
(15)
(16) "In the Case of King: What May Follow" (Anne E.
Will" (Janet S. Allen);
"Be Prepared: Developing a
Pooler and Constance M. Perry); and (17)
Censorship Policy for the Electronic Age" (Abigail C. Garthwait). Appended
are a joint manifesto by National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). and
+++++ ED414606 Has Multi-page SFR--- Level =l +++++
International Reading Association (IRA) concerning intellectual freedom; an
excerpt from a teacher's guide to selected horror short stories of Stephen
King; and the conference program. Contains a 152-item reference list of
literary works.(NKA)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
/1111IN
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MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
CENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy
Edited by
Brenda Miller Power, Jeffrey D.Wilhelm,
and Kelly Chandler
2
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Reading Stephen King
3
Editorial Board: Pat Cordeiro, Bobbi Fisher, Xin Liu Gale, Sarah
Hudelson, Bill McBride, Al leen Pace Nilsen, Helen Poole, Jerrie Cobb
Scott, Karen Smith, Chair, ex officio, Michael Greer, ex officio
4
Issues of Censorship, Student Choicet
and Popular Literature
Edited by
Brenda Miller Power
Jeffrey D. Wilhelm
Kelly Chandler
Urdversity of Maine
Nab,oaail Council of Teacheis of English
W. Kemiort Road, Tirballa, Illinois 61801-1096
J3 '3`11' CIITY AVAll11.43112
Staff Editor: Zarina M. Hock
Interior Design: Doug Burnett
Cover Design: Doug Burnett
NCTE Stock Number: 39051-3050
© 1997 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights
reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a
forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the
teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any par-
ticular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive
Committee, the Board of Directors, or the membership at large, except in
announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reading Stephen King: issues of censorship, student choice, and popular
literature / edited by Brenda Miller Power, Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Kelly
Chandler.
p.
cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8141-3905-1 (paperback)
1. King, Stephen, 1947 Study and teaching (Secondary). 2. Horror
tales, AmericanStudy and teaching (Secondary). 3. High school
studentsUnited StatesBooks and reading. 4. CensorshipUnited
States. 5. Canon (Literature). I. Power, Brenda Miller. II. Wilhelm,
III. Chandler, Kelly, 1970 .
Jeffrey D., 1959
.
PS3561.I483Z8 1997
813'.54dc21
97-34367
CIP
AC
6
For Ed Brazee, who learns from and advocates for
adolescents
Contents
Acknowledgments
ix
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Reading Stephen King: An Ethnography of an Event
1.
3
Brenda Miller Power
I Want To Be Typhoid Stevie
2.
13
Stephen King
King and Controversy in Classrooms: A Conversation
3.
between Teachers and Students
23
Kelly Chandler, John D'Anieri, Matt King,
Sierra Knight, Jeff Poulin, Brenda M. Power, and
Jeffrey D. Wilhelm
Choice
Of Cornflakes, Hot Dogs, Cabbages, and King
37
4.
Jeffrey D. Wilhelm
The "Wanna Read" Workshop: Reading for Love
51
5.
Kimberly Hill Campbell
6. When IT Comes to the Classroom
61
Ruth Shagoury Hubbard
If Students Own Their Learning, What Do Teachers Do?
73
7.
Curt Dudley-Marling
Disrupting Stephen King: Engaging in Alternative
8.
Reading Practices
83
James Albright and Roberta F Hammett
Because Stories Matter: Authorial Reading and the
9.
Threat of Censorship
95
Michael W. Smith
Popular Literature
10. Canon Construction Ahead
105
Kelly Chandler
vii
8
VIII
11. King in the Classroom
117
Michael R. Collings
12. King's Works and the At-Risk Student: The Broad-Based
Appeal of a Canon Basher
127
John Skretta
13. Reading the Cool Stuff: Students Respond to
Pet Semataiy
139
Mark A. Fabrizi
14. When Reading Horror Sub literature Isn't So Horrible
149
Janice V Kristo and Rosemary A. Bamford
Censorship
But a Thousand Never Will
15. One Book Can Hurt You .
163
. .
Janet S. Allen
16. In the Case of King: What May Follow
177
Anne E. Pooler and Constance M. Perry
17. Be Prepared: Developing a Censorship Policy for the
Electronic Age
185
Abigail C. Garth wait
Reference List of Literary Works
199
Appendixes
207
A. Common Ground
209
Prepared by the Joint Task Force on Intellectual
Freedom of the National Council of Teachers of
English and the International Reading Association
B. Excerpt from A Teacher's Guide to Selected Horror
Short Stories of Stephen King
221
C. Program of Events for the Reading Stephen King
Conference
233
Editors
243
Contributors
245
9