How influential was Christine?

**mrcthedj** · August 21st, 2009

When I was a pre-teen I had, mostly thanks to Mr. King, already decided I was going to be a writer. I began "cutting my teeth" by imitating Mr. King. Oddly, the most influential book I read at the time was "Christine." This was the first book to demonstrate how different techniques could be used within the same book to tell a story. Recall that the point of view shifts from first person to third person and back to first person. When I was 13 I wrote a story called "The Mailbox" about a, well, mailbox, that was abused by some people for no reason. The mailbox then wrote letters to its owner explaining how to "correct" the abusers. The adults I showed the story to were very encouraging and now, twenty-four years later, I am a writer because of it.

**ItaliaQueen** · August 23rd, 2009

i just watched christine on video ace at was!!!!!!!!!!

**Mr. Palmer** · August 23rd, 2009

CHRISTINE is one of my biggest inspirations. It was the first Stephen King novel I read and I was totally floored by it (even now I still annually read it).

Like you, all these years later, I'm a writer due partly to that book.

**wally wonder** · August 23rd, 2009

neat-o,mrcthedj. i'm curious though. do mailboxes go for all that 'innocent until proven guilty' stuff? jury of peers? etcetera? i'm going to have nightmares tonight. thanks. not that i ever abused a mailbox. been wrongly accused before, thing is.

**michal** · August 24th, 2009

It's always nice hearing that someone who precude his dream managed to get what he wanted. Good on you friend! And I don't even like Christin that much, but of course, I haven't read it at the impressionable age of 13 and perhaps lost something because I haven't.

**ItaliaQueen** · August 24th, 2009

I want to go to America to see that car he wrote about!!!!!

**scarywriter** · September 2nd, 2009

Originally Posted by ItaliaQueen

I want to go to America to see that car he wrote about!!!!!

You'll have a hard time doing that. You don't see too many '57 Plymouth Furies (Furys?) on the road these days. But, you're welcome to come on "across the pond" and try. We'll welcome your visit.

**qu33n0f3mpir3** · September 7th, 2009

I had a very huge crush on Arnie, lol,
i was thinking about making a kind of remake of
that movie too

**mrsbreece** · September 7th, 2009

I thought Christine was one of the least influential of King's books/movies. I generally love the story lines in King's books, but this one I just didn't see as heart jumping...maybe I just missed it. Stories like 'Salem's Lot, The Long Walk, Pet Sematary, Insomnia, It, among others are the best!!

**scarywriter** · September 8th, 2009

Originally Posted by mrsbreece

I thought Christine was one of the least influential of King's books/movies. I generally love the story lines in King's books, but this one I just didn't see as heart jumping...maybe I just missed it. Stories like 'Salem's Lot, The Long Walk, Pet Sematary, Insomnia, It, among others are the best!!

I have to strongly disagree mrsbreece.
while Christine may not have been as "deep" as some of King's othe works, it was hugely influential. Basically, a straight ahead horror story, references to it can be found in all sorts of pop culture arenas, as has been discussed in this thread. Whether you like the book or not, it has embedded itself in America's pysche. If you walk down the street and ask a dozen people to tell you who Stephen King's Roland is, many will give you a blank look (and I feel sorry for them because of that) but ask those same dozen if they know who Christine is, and I'll bet they do.