Stephen King and the Trouble with Poststructuralism

This essay analyzes multiple iterations of Stephen King’s epic IT—the novel as well as Andy Muschietti’s adaptations—to understand better King’s complicated relationship to poststructuralism. More specifically, the essay recognizes a core tension within works produced by that loose constellation of thinkers retroactively known as the poststructuralists: a tension between theories of power (see, most prominently, Michel Foucault) and theories of desire (see, most prominently, Jacques Lacan). Although its author never fully embraces a particular theoretical model, King’s IT nonetheless reflects this core tension, and by placing King’s text in dialogue with the major theoretical split, audiences might return with fresh eyes to the significance of Stephen King’s output as well as the legacy of the poststructuralists.