grammargirl: (Default)
grammargirl ([personal profile] grammargirl) wrote2006-02-23 11:14 pm

Thought for a quiet Thursday night

Rhetorical question that comes of rereading the vast majority of the uncut edition of The Stand in the past three days:

What the hell is it with Stephen King and people peeing their pants?

(Seriously: in the 956 pages I've read thus far, I'd say at least six or seven different characters have pissed themselves, and peeing in one's pants, from fear or shock or old age, has come up as a concept probably half a dozen other times. Mother Abigail alone thinks about loss of bladder control, and the ramifications thereof, on three separate occasions that I can think of off the top of my head. Weird fuckin' fixation, man.)

[identity profile] cheesegimp.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
Stephen King: Watersports enthusiast?

[identity profile] eunoterpsiast.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
I once read that Stephen King writes exactly ten pages every day, and never re-reads what he's finished before moving on. I think that shows in his work, and would certainly explain the excessive pants-peeing of his characters... As in, he knew he wanted to mention it somewhere, and forgot if he had or not already...

[identity profile] wednes.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
I must agree. Lots of his childhood stories also include such incidents: It, Stand by me, 'Salem's Lot, and I think Cujo as well. Of course, if that dog was chasing me I just might need a trouser change.

...

[identity profile] firstlastalways.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
IT'S ALL THE SAME CHARACTER!

[identity profile] marchharetay.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 01:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Now that you have mentioned this, I feel compelled to keep a running count next book...