--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the big thing is that Stephen…" description: "\"I think the big thing is that Stephen King is just a phenomenon, and when he came along, for the first time horror was suddenly considered a very comme..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69e/joe-r-lansdale-3119_big_i-think-the-big-thing-is-that-stephen-ki_2578140.png" --- # I think the big thing is that Stephen King is just a… ![“I think the big thing is that Stephen King is just a phenomenon, and when he came along, for the first time horror was suddenly considered a very commercial genre. It had always been around, of course, but now, the books had the word 'horror' actually printed on their spines.” quote by Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69e/joe-r-lansdale-3119_big_i-think-the-big-thing-is-that-stephen-ki_2578140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69e/joe-r-lansdale-3119_big_i-think-the-big-thing-is-that-stephen-ki_2578140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69e/joe-r-lansdale-3119_big_i-think-the-big-thing-is-that-stephen-ki_2578140.png) > “I think the big thing is that Stephen King is just a phenomenon, and when he came along, for the first time horror was suddenly considered a very commercial genre. It had always been around, of course, but now, the books had the word 'horror' actually printed on their spines.” [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stephen King transformed horror into a mainstream commercial genre, changing publishing norms. **In simple terms:** King made horror commercial. Key Takeaway Recognize genre shifts and market impact. Themes literature genre commercialization culture Mood analytical critical Type literary business When to use this quote - publishing strategies - genre studies - marketing campaigns - academic research Key Concepts market dynamics author influence genre stigma Questions to Reflect On - How does mainstream success affect genre authenticity? - Can horror retain depth while being profitable? A Different Perspective Commercialization may dilute artistic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-actually-1698439/) [Horror Suddenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-suddenly-1753323/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Stephen king](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stephen-king/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Word Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-horror-304485/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s horrible," she said. He looked at her in surprise. Horrible? Wasn’t that odd? He hadn’t thought that for years. For him the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/it-s-horrible-she-said-he-looked-at-her-in-surprise-horrible-wasn-t/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > [Without music in a horror there is actually such a big part missing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-stamm/without-music-in-a-horror-there-is-actually-such-a-big-part-missing/) [Daniel Stamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-stamm/) > [My first six books were horror, I think because when I was young I loved Stephen King. John Wyndham, Daphne Du Maurier, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-pinborough/my-first-six-books-were-horror-i-think-because-when-i-was-young-i/) [Sarah Pinborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-pinborough/) > [Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff didn't like the word 'horror'. They, like I, went for the French description: 'the theatre of the fantastique'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/lon-chaney-and-boris-karloff-didn-t-like-the-word-horror-they-like-i/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [“For him the word 'horror' had become obsolete.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/for-him-the-word-horror-had-become-obsolete/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > ['The Rocky Horror Show' was actually my first musical love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-saunders/the-rocky-horror-show-was-actually-my-first-musical-love/) [Jennifer Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-saunders/) > [The definition of horror is pretty broad. What causes us "horror" is actually a many splendored thing (laughs). It can be hard to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/the-definition-of-horror-is-pretty-broad-what-causes-us-horror-is/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [The audience's imagination will do a better, more personalized version of the horror than you can actually paint. So that just, you know, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/the-audience-s-imagination-will-do-a-better-more-personalized-version/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [Whether it's via the monstrous or the paranormal, horror actually can really get at some of the most fundamental human questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/whether-it-s-via-the-monstrous-or-the-paranormal-horror-actually-can/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [When I was growing up, if there was a Young Adult section of my town's library, I missed it. I wandered right from 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/when-i-was-growing-up-if-there-was-a-young-adult-section-of-my-town-s/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [Having Stephen King in anyone's corner is pretty awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-vellani/having-stephen-king-in-anyone-s-corner-is-pretty-awesome/) [Iman Vellani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-vellani/) > [I'm a huge fan of the book and Stephen King is one of my big heroes, literary heroes, and I am a fan, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-the-book-and-stephen-king-is-one-of-my-big-heroes/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [If you're Stephen King and you have a massive body of huge-selling well-respected work, you can pivot and do whatever you want. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-re-stephen-king-and-you-have-a-massive-body-of-huge-selling/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [They were kind of like little Stephen King stories... but these go back many hundreds of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/they-were-kind-of-like-little-stephen-king-stories-but-these-go-back/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [Stephen King has inspired me with his humor and honesty, and his admonition that the author's job is to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/stephen-king-has-inspired-me-with-his-humor-and-honesty-and-his/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## More by Joe R. Lansdale > [I have finally become my own genre, and now that's what publishers want. I have a wonderful publisher now, Mulholland, very innovated, very fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-have-finally-become-my-own-genre-and-now-that-s-what-publishers/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Some people see writing as a white-collar career, but I've always approached it as a blue-collar writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/some-people-see-writing-as-a-white-collar-career-but-i-ve-always/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“‎He decided quite suddenly, having kept fairly good record on the calendar, that tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and zombies be damned. The Christmas lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/he-decided-quite-suddenly-having-kept-fairly-good-record-on-the/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [A lot of friends I went to school with were criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/a-lot-of-friends-i-went-to-school-with-were-criminals/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I think there are some people for whom words are like food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-think-there-are-some-people-for-whom-words-are-like-food/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [The reviews on it, and the new novel, Honky Tonk Samurai have been awesome, though I'm of the school if you believe the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/the-reviews-on-it-and-the-new-novel-honky-tonk-samurai-have-been/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Killing ain’t no good thing, son, unless it’s to eat or protect yourself. And you ought never to delight in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/killing-ain-t-no-good-thing-son-unless-it-s-to-eat-or-protect/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've done very well financially and sold a lot because I've had a multiple method of attack as a writer. That's a conscious strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-done-very-well-financially-and-sold-a-lot-because-i-ve-had-a/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I used to just sit down and read the dictionary, and I read the Bible and Shakespeare from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-used-to-just-sit-down-and-read-the-dictionary-and-i-read-the-bible/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I know the Pollock novel. Read it last year and liked it. Daniel Woodrell is awesome. I especially like the book Winter's Bone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-know-the-pollock-novel-read-it-last-year-and-liked-it-daniel/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My grandmother on my mother's side lived to nearly 100 years old, and she had seen Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-grandmother-on-my-mother-s-side-lived-to-nearly-100-years-old-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I write what I hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-write-what-i-hear/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've been writing since 1973. I've written nonfiction things of that nature, but I'm probably best known for crime fiction and, to some extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-been-writing-since-1973-i-ve-written-nonfiction-things-of-that/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Far as I knew, closest she'd gotten to art was a drafting table and dressing mannequins in store windows, and the closest I'd gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/far-as-i-knew-closest-she-d-gotten-to-art-was-a-drafting-table-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) [Explore all 132 Joe R. Lansdale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) [Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the big thing is that Stephen King is just a phenomenon, and when he came along, for the first time horror was suddenly considered a very commercial genre. 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