THE HORROR

In her Film Clips article “Stephen King, Feminist?” (April 16), Elaine Dutka derides horror as a literary genre, suggesting that King could and should move on to better things--namely mainstream fiction.

The fact is, horror is one of the most lasting and important of literary forms. Almost every major writer in every country throughout history has tried his or her hand at horror. In addition, the supernatural is an important element in the work of the South American magic realists, as well as in the work of African American writers such as Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson and Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison.

The supernatural has often been used as a very powerful and effective literary metaphor, allowing writers to deal with subjects in ways not possible within the confines of so-called “mainstream” fiction.

BENTLEY LITTLE

Fullerton