John Saul - (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) by Paul Bail (Hardcover)

About the Book

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.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"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

"Paul Bail's immensely readable book is a wonderful feast, not only for John Saul's legion of fans but for anyone--young and older--interested in the workings of a writer's mind. Bail skillfully dissects Saul's major novels while, at the same time, dissecting a genre that ranges from Edgar Allan Poe to Stephen King."-Robert Cormier

?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...These interpretations should add a new dimension of understanding of and appreciation for the author's works for his many readers...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.?-School Library Journal

"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...These interpretations should add a new dimension of understanding of and appreciation for the author's works for his many readers...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."-School Library Journal

About the Author

PAUL BAIL teaches graduate courses on the psychology of crime at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan. He has reviewed crime novels for The Drood Review of Mystery and was a contributor to the Edgar-nominated Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary, edited by Kathleen Gregory Klein (Greenwood, 1994).