Nightmare on Main Street offers students an in-depth exploration of the works of Stephen King, critically examining his contributions to American fiction and popular culture. Students will read and engage with a range of King’s novels, short stories, film adaptations, and connections to contemporary popular culture, analyzing his blend of horror and social commentary. We explore King’s recurring themes of fear, trauma, horror, crime, American hardship, and socio-political and economic critiques. We examine how his work has changed over the past five decades. Nightmare on Main Street situates Stephen King as the modern day Dickens, moving past his famous horror works to delve into the expanded context of the postmodern fiction, suspense and crime genres, and Gothic literature, critically assessing the significance and cultural relevance of his work. The course will also investigate King’s craft techniques to further examine his impact on fiction. Titles include Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Pet Sematary, It, Misery, The Running Man, Dolores Clairborn, Mr. Mercedes, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," and "The Body,” as well as his memoir On Writing. Films include: Stand By Me, Misery, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, It, and others.