Literature of the Americas
Literature of the Americas
2541-7894
2542-243X
IWL RAS
https://doi.org/10.22455/2541-7894-2025-19-88-103
Research Article
Articles
Stephen King and the Contemporary Literary Canon: Strategies of Institutionalization and Legitimation
2025
Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS
2026
This article analyzes the institutional mechanisms through which popular literature becomes part of the contemporary literary canon. Using the case of Stephen King’s transformation from a marginal horror writer to a recognized figure in the academic and cultural mainstream, the author identifies three key strategies of institutionalization: self-legitimation, media recognition, and academic reception. The proposed distinction between canonization, legitimation, and institutionalization, along with the introduction of an analytical model of institutional strategies, constitutes a theoretical contribution to current studies of the literary canon in the postmodern era.
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