Winnifred "Wendy" Torrance is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

and protagonist of the 1977 horror

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

'' The Shining'' by the American writer

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

. She also appears in the prologue of '' Doctor Sleep'', a 2013 sequel to ''The Shining''.

Character

She is portrayed by

Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...

in the 1980

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of the novel directed by

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

, by Rebecca De Mornay in the 1997

television miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

directed by

Mick Garris Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations. Early life Garris was born in Sant ...

, and played by Alex Essoe in the 2019 film adaptation of ''Doctor Sleep'' directed by Mike Flanagan. Unlike

Jack Torrance John Daniel Edward "Jack" Torrance is the main antagonist in Stephen King's horror novel '' The Shining'' (1977). He was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the novel's 1980 film adaptation, by Steven Weber in the 1997 miniseries, by Brian Mu ...

, little of Wendy's background is revealed in the novel. A bad relationship with her emotionally abusive mother is mentioned. In the film version, the character is much less nuanced than in the book and in the miniseries (written by King himself), where she appears as a "central" character, leading to some critics to refer to the character as "two different versions of Wendy Torrance". Stephen King has often stated that Wendy's submissiveness is one of the main reasons for his aversion to Kubrick's film. Writer Chelsea Quinn Yarbro also criticized Wendy's "weakness" as portrayed in the novel, attributing it to King's general inability to paint convincing female characters. Other critics have spoken of the novel's Wendy as a "modern Gothic heroine", although not stereotyped.Heidi Strengell,
Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism
', University of Wisconsin Press 2006, p. 99

Character

See also

Notes

References

Further reading