Verbal and Non-Verbal Means of Denoting Altered States of Consciousness in Stephen King’s Short Story «Crouch End»
V. Koroleva, Ahmad Abosovich Utsiev
Ethnic Culture December 24, 2025 DOI: 10.31483/r-149925 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Stephen King's short story "Crouch End" and its main female character |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Key points | Argues that the altered state of consciousness of the main character in Stephen King's "Crouch End" is represented through verbal means, including fear-related words and idioms and the technique of parcel, and through the linguistic representation of controlled and uncontrolled non-verbal behavior, such as phonetic, tactile, proximal, pantomimic, and miremic signals and psychophysiological reactions like trembling and stupor. |
Abstract
Using the example of Stephen King's short story “Crouch End”, the article examines verbal and non-verbal means (their linguistic representation), reflecting the state of altered consciousness in the text. An analysis of the heroine’s behavior based on the work showed the following typical signs of altered states of consciousness: changes in thinking and speech, the appearance of a non-standard perception of oneself and the world around her, the appearance of deep feelings and emotions, loss of self-control, and increased imagery of perception of what is happening. Lexical units with negative semantics of anxiety and terror (fear, terror) are distinguished as verbal means. At the linguistic level, the altered states of consciousness in the story is expressed through verbal nominations, such as words and idioms with the meaning of fear and the technique of parcel. Altered states of consciousness is also reflected through the use of non-verbal language categories. Among them are controlled non-verbal communications: phonetic, tactile, proximal, pantomimic, miremic. Linguistic categories of psychophysiological reactions, such as trembling and stupor, play a special role in describing a stressful state. The article concludes that the state of altered consciousness in the main character of S. King’s short story “Crouch End” is represented by both verbal means and linguistic representation of controlled and uncontrolled types of non-verbal behavior.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altered States of Consciousness | 1966 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Hypnotic phenomena and altered states of consciousness: a multilevel framework of description and explanation | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |