Tale Spinners of the Dark Tower
Jamieson Villeneuve
April 24, 2007
“You’re angry at him because he’s afraid? But…” Jake frowned. “Buy why wouldn’t he be afraid? He’s only a writer. A tale-spinner, not a gunslinger.”
I know that,” Roland said, “but I don’t think it was fear that stopped him, Jake, or not just fear. He’s lazy, as well. I felt it when I met him and I’m sure Eddie did, too. He looked at the job he was made to do and it daunted him and he said to himself, ‘All right, I’ll find an easier job, one that’s more to my liking and more to my abilities. And if there’s trouble, they’ll take care of me. They’ll have to take care of me.’ And so we do.”
You don’t like him.”
No,” Roland agreed, “I didn’t. Not a bit. Nor trusted him. I’ve met tale-spinners before, Jake, and they’re all cut more or less from the same cloth. They tell tales because they’re afraid of life.”
FROM: THE DARK TOWER, The Dark Tower VII
As I was standing at the bus stop this morning, I read the above passage in The Dark Tower, Book Seven. It struck a chord with me for two reasons, which I'll get to in a bit.
I've been a long time reader of Stephen King. I've read almost everything he's written and, personally, I think he's a genius. That may be high praise according to some, but that's how I feel, I say thank-ya. King refers to the seven Dark Tower books as his magnum opus and it's not hard to see why.
The first book of the Dark Tower, The Gunslinger, was started when King was just 19, before he even had an inkling of writing Carrie, which would carry him to stardom. And it seems that The Dark Tower has followed him through out his writing career, as there are 18 other books and/or stories that are not in the series but linked in some way to the Dark Tower Saga.
The Dark Tower has become Kings most introspective work, weaving Old Western with fantasy, science fiction, spaghetti western, action, adventure and a bit of romance all together in one seamless yarn. King has done more than just produce seven excellent books, one excellent tapestry.
He's given us himself on the page; through the writing of the books, he's also taken a look, a good hard look, at himself. Which brings me back to the passage quoted above and why it affected me so much.
The person that Roland and Jake are talking about is Stephen King himself, added to the plot in book six, Song of Susannah. Kings own characters are speaking against him; it stuck me as harsh punishment that Steve could make his character or Roland dislike him so much. But it's not hard to see why.
Between book three, The Wastelands, and book four, Wizard and Glass, there lies a valley of six LONG years where Kings Dark Tower Junkies were waiting with bated breath for the fourth book. King stated that there may not BE a fourth book, as the tale would have to go back to the past and would be too difficult to write. But after six long years, they were rewarded. The Wastelands was published in 1991; Wizard and Glass followed in 1997. Surely the story could continue now at a faster pace?
But again things slowed. King wrote many other books between 1997 and 2003 when, when book five, Wolves of the Calla, was finally published. King is quote as saying that he wasn't sure he could continue, that he had time, that the story would be written when it was written. It took a car accident to force King to see that there may not be enough time after all.
Most everyone knows that King was hit by a blue minivan in June of 1999. Oddly enough, this accident plays a pivotal part The Dark Tower book Seven. What it must have taken for King to write of himself in such a way, to look at himself so harshly as lazy, must have been a difficult thing to do; or it may very well have been therapeutic.
As I read the above passage, I wondered at King's strength of character to look at himself in such a way. Surely, to first place yourself in the plot of your books (and why not? This is his Magnum Opus after all; shouldn't he be in the plot?) and then to look at yourself so harshly...surely this implies strength of character? You'd think that, after placing yourself in your own work, that you'd put yourself in a favorable light?
It takes immense strength and courage to do otherwise.
The second reason the above quote stuck a chord is more of a personal reason. I am a tale-spinner myself, a weaver of words, a teller of tales. Yet, I don't believe that I tell tales because I'm afraid of life. I tell tales, I think, because I have to; writing is the breath of life to me. I am not afraid of life; through my writing I am able to embrace it, view it with a different eye, in a different light.
I'm sure there are many other writers out there who would agree with me on this.
But there is part of me that also agrees with sai King, though not in the way he means. I have spun many tales and read many more. I have read thousand, probably millions of pages of different tales. I find that I live through books, through these tales. They are my escape from reality, my escape from every day life.
So I wonder if King had the right of it after all; that writers are tale spinners because they are afraid of life. While I know that I am not afraid of life, I also know that I spend a large part of it with my nose stuck inside a books pages, living someone else’s.
I know something else as well: I am almost at the end of the Dark Tower; but my path will continue on for some time to come.
Come-come-commala, I say thank-ya.
I know that,” Roland said, “but I don’t think it was fear that stopped him, Jake, or not just fear. He’s lazy, as well. I felt it when I met him and I’m sure Eddie did, too. He looked at the job he was made to do and it daunted him and he said to himself, ‘All right, I’ll find an easier job, one that’s more to my liking and more to my abilities. And if there’s trouble, they’ll take care of me. They’ll have to take care of me.’ And so we do.”
You don’t like him.”
No,” Roland agreed, “I didn’t. Not a bit. Nor trusted him. I’ve met tale-spinners before, Jake, and they’re all cut more or less from the same cloth. They tell tales because they’re afraid of life.”
FROM: THE DARK TOWER, The Dark Tower VII
As I was standing at the bus stop this morning, I read the above passage in The Dark Tower, Book Seven. It struck a chord with me for two reasons, which I'll get to in a bit.
I've been a long time reader of Stephen King. I've read almost everything he's written and, personally, I think he's a genius. That may be high praise according to some, but that's how I feel, I say thank-ya. King refers to the seven Dark Tower books as his magnum opus and it's not hard to see why.
The first book of the Dark Tower, The Gunslinger, was started when King was just 19, before he even had an inkling of writing Carrie, which would carry him to stardom. And it seems that The Dark Tower has followed him through out his writing career, as there are 18 other books and/or stories that are not in the series but linked in some way to the Dark Tower Saga.
The Dark Tower has become Kings most introspective work, weaving Old Western with fantasy, science fiction, spaghetti western, action, adventure and a bit of romance all together in one seamless yarn. King has done more than just produce seven excellent books, one excellent tapestry.
He's given us himself on the page; through the writing of the books, he's also taken a look, a good hard look, at himself. Which brings me back to the passage quoted above and why it affected me so much.
The person that Roland and Jake are talking about is Stephen King himself, added to the plot in book six, Song of Susannah. Kings own characters are speaking against him; it stuck me as harsh punishment that Steve could make his character or Roland dislike him so much. But it's not hard to see why.
Between book three, The Wastelands, and book four, Wizard and Glass, there lies a valley of six LONG years where Kings Dark Tower Junkies were waiting with bated breath for the fourth book. King stated that there may not BE a fourth book, as the tale would have to go back to the past and would be too difficult to write. But after six long years, they were rewarded. The Wastelands was published in 1991; Wizard and Glass followed in 1997. Surely the story could continue now at a faster pace?
But again things slowed. King wrote many other books between 1997 and 2003 when, when book five, Wolves of the Calla, was finally published. King is quote as saying that he wasn't sure he could continue, that he had time, that the story would be written when it was written. It took a car accident to force King to see that there may not be enough time after all.
Most everyone knows that King was hit by a blue minivan in June of 1999. Oddly enough, this accident plays a pivotal part The Dark Tower book Seven. What it must have taken for King to write of himself in such a way, to look at himself so harshly as lazy, must have been a difficult thing to do; or it may very well have been therapeutic.
As I read the above passage, I wondered at King's strength of character to look at himself in such a way. Surely, to first place yourself in the plot of your books (and why not? This is his Magnum Opus after all; shouldn't he be in the plot?) and then to look at yourself so harshly...surely this implies strength of character? You'd think that, after placing yourself in your own work, that you'd put yourself in a favorable light?
It takes immense strength and courage to do otherwise.
The second reason the above quote stuck a chord is more of a personal reason. I am a tale-spinner myself, a weaver of words, a teller of tales. Yet, I don't believe that I tell tales because I'm afraid of life. I tell tales, I think, because I have to; writing is the breath of life to me. I am not afraid of life; through my writing I am able to embrace it, view it with a different eye, in a different light.
I'm sure there are many other writers out there who would agree with me on this.
But there is part of me that also agrees with sai King, though not in the way he means. I have spun many tales and read many more. I have read thousand, probably millions of pages of different tales. I find that I live through books, through these tales. They are my escape from reality, my escape from every day life.
So I wonder if King had the right of it after all; that writers are tale spinners because they are afraid of life. While I know that I am not afraid of life, I also know that I spend a large part of it with my nose stuck inside a books pages, living someone else’s.
I know something else as well: I am almost at the end of the Dark Tower; but my path will continue on for some time to come.
Come-come-commala, I say thank-ya.
Print
Email
