Turning the Thumbscrews Tighter: Suspense Across Versions in Stephen King's IT

This Zenodo record contains the doctoral dissertation Turning the Thumbscrews Tighter: Suspense Across Versions in Stephen King’s IT, authored by Vincent Neyt, submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree at the University of Antwerp, and completed as part of the research project Creating Suspense Across Versions: Genetic Narratology and Stephen King’s IT (2022–2024). The dissertation investigates how suspense is created, shaped, and optimized across successive stages of the writing and publication process, with IT (1986) by Stephen King as its central case study. Drawing on methods from genetic narratology and genetic criticism, the study analyzes material evidence from multiple documentary versions of the text in order to trace how narrative pace, characterization, and focalization evolve across drafts, proofs, and editorial interventions. The research is based on an extensive corpus of prepublication documents related to IT, including authorial drafts, a copy-edited submission typescript, proofs, galleys, and correspondence with editors. Particular attention is paid to the collaborative dynamics between author and editors, engaging critically with King’s oft-cited claim that “to write is human, to edit is divine.” By examining concrete revision practices, the dissertation contributes to broader discussions in literary theory concerning authorship, editorial agency, and the sociology of literary texts. Two versions of the dissertation are provided: a PDF version, corresponding to the defended and finalized text; a Word (.docx) version, included to facilitate text reuse, accessibility, and long-term preservation. This Zenodo deposit serves as a stable, DOI-backed archival copy of the dissertation, complementing the institutional repository version and ensuring long-term availability beyond local infrastructure.