| Stephen King is a famous American best-selling novelist.He wins the title of“Master of Horror Fiction” for his works.Pet Sematary is a typical gothic novel,and it is also one of his representative novels.In the story,King depicts a series of supernatural and bloody scenes around the Micmac burying ground in a Maine town,thus creating a thrilling atmosphere.The research adopts a combination of close reading and theoretical exposition.Based on the interpretation of Pet Sematary within the scope of previous research,as well as the details and factors related to the horror aesthetics in the novel,this thesis employs the sublime theory of Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant.It takes the horror objects in Pet Sematary as a breakthrough to discuss the horror effects on the readers and the social problems reflected through the horror effects.The research finds that the Maine town,the Maine forest,and the Micmac burying ground contain some factors that make people have a sublime aesthetic experience and help them turn negative fear into positive pleasure.For instance,grotesque images stimulate readers’ imagination in the fear.Supernatural elements bring horror pleasure to readers.The social problems behind the horror effects include the spiritual siege,the family tragedies,and the death and redemption of the Maine town residents.These problems bring readers thinking and enlightenment.The thesis concludes that Pet Sematary has sublime aesthetic value.On the one hand,it can let readers enjoy the beauty in fear.On the other hand,it has a positive impact on readers’ hearts and spirits.In the novel,Stephen King describes the daily life of the Maine town residents and reveals the social problems existing in this town,which also has important guiding significance for readers’ social life. |
