Kingdom of Fear (book) - Major Themes

Major Themes

Writing and punctuation themes are more pronounced in Kingdom of Fear than in many of Thompson's previous works. In particular, he habitually uses the following alterations:

  • The addition of a number in numerals in brackets after printing the number as word, such as, "but when you are a nine-year-old boy with two (2) full-grown FBI agents..."
  • The use of the ampersand instead of the word 'and' when he is using 'and' as a word to connect two adjectives, such as, deranged & insane
  • The use of the abbreviation 'yr.' instead of the word 'your'.
  • The capitalization of nouns deemed important to the author: "...an eerie sense of Panic in the air, a silent Fear and Uncertainty that comes with once-reliable faiths and truths and solid Institutions that are no longer safe to believe in..."
  • The typeface changes throughout the book.

Thompson also used this style in the contemporary Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness.

Works by or about Hunter S. Thompson
Novels
  • Prince Jellyfish
  • The Rum Diary
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  • Polo Is My Life
Short stories
  • "Fire in the Nuts"
Short story collections
  • Screw-Jack & Other Stories
Essay collections
The Gonzo Papers
  • The Great Shark Hunt
  • Generation of Swine
  • Songs of the Doomed
  • Better Than Sex
  • Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
  • The Proud Highway
  • Fear and Loathing in America
  • Kingdom of Fear
  • Hey Rube
  • Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone
  • The Mutineer
Articles
  • "The Battle of Aspen"
  • "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved"
  • "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan"
  • "The Temptations of Jean-Claude Killy"
Non-fiction
  • Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
  • Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson
  • The Curse of Lono
  • Mistah Leary – He Dead
Film adaptations
  • Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
  • The Rum Diary (2011)
Documentaries
  • Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision (1978)
  • Breakfast with Hunter (2003)
  • Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)
Related Uncle Duke (Doonesbury character)
  • Bibliography of Hunter S. Thompson
  • Gonzo journalism


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