Stephen Kings Varsel genom fyra paranormala aspekter : Vilken betydelse har det paranormala för berättelsen och läsaren?

Sammanfattning: This essay examines the paranormal in Stephen King’s novel The Shining to investigate if there is a parapsychological motif and how that affects the narrative. This is achieved by analysing the abilities that the Torrance family, Dick Hallorann, and the Overlook exhibit and how these abilities are linked to established terminology within the parapsychological research area. The main focus will be on correlations between The Shining and research that has been carried out within anomalistic psychology and parapsychology. Structuralist literary theory is used to investigate all parts of the narrative. Both a mimetic and a semiotic reading are applied. This is done first by performing a comparative analysis from a Gothic structural perspective. Furthermore, an analysis of the paranormal abilities the characters exhibit and likewise the paranormal phenomena in the narrative is done. Finally, the abilities and phenomena are linked to the terminology used within the paranormal research field. The conclusion is that there is a correlation between the scientific paranormal terminology and Kings description of the characters' abilities, as well as the phenomena in the narrative.