Horrifying Empathy : A comparative study of empathy in Stephen King's Pet Sematary and The Shining, with a discussion of the use of horror literature in the EFL-classroom

Sammanfattning: This essay is a comparative analysis of the novels Pet Sematary and The Shining by Stephen King, where the empathy that the characters may invoke is analyzed. The focus lies on the children, mothers and fathers of the two families featured in the novels, who are analyzed in terms of Leake’s division of easy or difficult empathy. The essay also discusses the use of horror fiction in the EFL-classroom and how it may train students’ ability to empathize and motivate reluctant readers. The child characters mainly offer easy empathy since they experience negative emotions and victimization. The adult characters appear to be more nuanced, especially the two fathers who may invoke a combination of easy and difficult empathy through their change towards antagonists, or through their abusive behavior. Due to King’s complex characters, and suspenseful storytelling, it is possible that horror fiction of this kind can be used in the EFL-classroom to attract reluctant readers. As the students also come in contact with difficult empathy they can train their ability to understand and empathize with people who may act in ways that the students normally would disagree with. In that regard, it appears that horror fiction can have a pedagogical use in the EFL-classroom.