Misery- Stephen King

1) Paul Sheldon, an author of a successful series on the character of Misery Chastain, crashes his car during a winter storm and becomes completely unconscious.  A woman by the name of Annie Wilkes is the woman that Paul wakes up to in a bedroom. She is sitting next to the bed, reading. Paul learns that he is in a farmhouse in Sidewinder, Colorado. "My name is Annie Wilkes. And I am -" "I know," he said.  "You're my number-one fan" (part 1, chapter 2, page 6).  Annie has no intention of notifying the authorities and intends to keep him under her watch as long as it takes for her to fulfill her darkest fantasies or psychosis.  She soon becomes out of control after she reads the latest manuscript in the Misery series.  In order for Paul to save his own life, she demands that he resurrects the character of Misery.  Annie obsesses over Paul, and physically abuses and tortures him until the very end.... in which you must read to find out what happens! Don't want to completely spoil it for you.


2) Fanaticism- Misery is Annie's escape into the 19th century which was a more gentler time in which people did not behave like they do now.  Annie is equally obsessed with Paul and the idea of him writing "Misery's Return" for her.  The worst episode of Annie's rage was when she finishes reading "Misery's Child" which blows her into a complete psychosis when she learns that Miser is dead.


3)  Misery is written in an omniscient/ suspenseful tone.  This third person omniscient is used when talking about Annie Wilkes.  "I am your number one fan." "I am in trouble here.  This woman is not right."  "And then woe is you, Pauly.  Woe to the max."  "There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than i do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean- hell, I know that."


4)  the literary techniques used in this novel include flashbacks, third person point of view, combining horror genre with the romance, structure, and graphic maiming.