Published in 1989, The Dark Half was Stephen King’s attempt to write a text that would express views about writing which were almost directly opposed to those he recorded in his earlier work entitled Misery, published in 1987. In both novels, King uses a writer as his protagonist, demonstrating the struggle involved in composing with words while at the same time illustrating the difference between what readers and critics have perceived as so-called pulp fiction and classical literature. These parallel novels feature writers who are diametrically opposed. One, Thaddeus Beaumont of The Dark Half, writes classic fiction under his real name and dabbles in violent crime fiction under a pseudonym, George Stark. The other, Paul Sheldon of Misery, writes harlequin romances under his real name and yearns to write a Pulitzer Prize winner instead. While...
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Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "The Dark Half". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 February 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12650, accessed 09 June 2026.]
