John Saul: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) [Hardcover]

Paul Bail (Author)

Book Description

Series: Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers | Publication Date: June 10, 1996

This is the first book-length study of best-selling writer John Saul's psychological and supernatural thrillers. Author Paul Bail compares John Saul's novels to a cocktail: (mix) one part , one part The Exorcist, a dash of Turn of the Screw, blend well, and serve thoroughly chillingly. Bail traces John Saul's literary career from his 1977 debut novel Suffer the Children—the first paperback original ever to make the New York Times best seller list—to his most recent novel, Black Lightning (1995). It features detailed analyses of eleven of his novels. The study includes never-before-published biographical information, drawing an original interview with John Saul, and a chapter on the history of tales of horror and the supernatural and how these genres have influenced Saul's fiction.

Each chapter in this study examines an individual novel. The novels are analyzed for plot structure, characterization, thematic elements, and their relationship to prior and later novels by Saul. In addition, Bail defines and applies a variety of theoretical approaches to the novels—feminist, deconstructionist, Freudian, Jungian, and sociopolitical—to widen the reader's perspective. Bail shows how John Saul enlarged his repertoire from stories of supernatural possession to science-fiction based horror. A complete bibliography of John Saul's fiction and a bibliography of reviews and criticism complete the work. Because of John Saul's great popularity among teenagers and adults, this unique study is a necessary purchase by secondary school and public libraries.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up?A thorough, comprehensive study of the horror writer and his body of work. Beginning with an overview of Saul's life and the literary genre, Bail then provides a detailed analysis of Saul's 10 novels, from Suffer the Children to Black Lightning. Each book is analyzed according to plot, characters, and theme, as well as other pertinent elements, such as suspense, irony, and humor. Finally, the titles are discussed according to a particular point of view. Brainchild, for example, is given a sociopolitical reading, while The God Project is analyzed from a feminist perspective, and Black Lightning is given a deconstructionist reading. These interpretations should add a new dimension of understanding of and appreciation for the author's works for his many readers. And even though the discussions are rather sophisticated, the text is engaging and interesting. Hand this book to any student trying to convince a skeptical English teacher that horror fiction is suitable for book reports or research papers.?Marilyn Makowski, Greenwood High School, SC
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"John Saul is an informative, superbly written exploration of one of America's foremost writers of the macabre. The beauty of Dr. Bail's book is its lucid and captivating prose. Aside from capturing Saul's profundity, the book itself is a penetrating study of fear. Students of psychology, sociology, the arts, and film, all will find wisdom here, and so will students of life."-Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D. Saybrook Institute

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood (June 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313295751
• ISBN-13: 978-0313295751
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,777,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Birth, learning to walk, learning to speak, & then writing books. Some other stuff happened in between. . .

To be continued.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Literary Companion & Biography, February 11, 2008

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John Saul: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) (Hardcover)

John Saul has been one of my favorite authors since I was a child. His spine tinglers are set in sleepy towns near major cities (e.g. Eastbury in THE GOD PROJECT and HELLFIRE which is a fictional suburb of Boston) where weird and shadowy things take place. His characters often appear virtuous, yet have a shadow side. He is at no loss for presenting macabre scenes in a plausible way, which makes the story in question all the more delightfully frightening.

Saul is different from Stephen King whereas King's stories, while scary are plainly works of fiction and the reader is aware of that at all times. Saul's spine tinglers on the other hand are subtle yet build in a literary crescendo. While his works are clearly fictional, they are plausible fiction and his characters remain in the minds of readers long after the last page is turned.

This book gives excellent analyses of several of Saul's works. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, keep in mind that it is a companion to Saul's books. Read it WITH Saul's books and not INSTEAD of Saul's books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Would Pay $50 for This?, July 9, 2009

By 

Christina "Internet Automaton" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Saul: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) (Kindle Edition)

I'm giving this five stars because I think that the idea is good and it's not the book's fault that it's price is insane, but I have to ask: Why would anyone pay $50 for a digital copy of a book??

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for any John Saul fan..., April 12, 2000

By 

Joy Martin "mareelynn" (a little house on a hill in Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Saul: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) (Hardcover)

If you enjoy the thrill and horror, the excitement and the plot twists of the talented John Saul, then you should read this book. Not only is it intriguing and informative, but it gives you real insight to the man himself and where his inspiration comes from. The author, Paul Bail, has chosen a collection of Saul's work and has provided the reader with a real understanding of each selected novel. Not only is this book fascinating for Saul fans, it is a wonderfully written study for fans of the macabre.