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Shirley Hardie Jackson

シャーリイ・ジャクスン

Shirley Jackson

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1916-12-14 （San Francisco, California, United States）
Died
1965-08-08 （North Bennington, Vermont, United States） age 48
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
San Francisco (birthplace) → North Bennington, Vermont (residence; death)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Short story writer
Active Years
1940-1965
Influenced By
Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Influenced
Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman

Education

Syracuse University
College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1936–1940
Year of Graduation: 1940
Country: United States
Sources vary on specific course details; general graduation year widely listed as 1940.

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Haunting of Hill House

1959 Gothic / Psychological horror 246 pages

A psychological ghost story set in an eerie old mansion, exploring paranormal events and the fragile psyches of its visitors.

fearisolationfragility of the mindthe house as symbolic space
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Haunting / Robert Wise (1963)
  • [Film] The Haunting / Jan de Bont (1999)
  • [TV series] The Haunting of Hill House / Mike Flanagan (2018)
Translations
  • The Haunting of Hill House (Japanese translations exist)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

1962 Gothic / Grotesque fiction 208 pages

A novel about two sisters living in seclusion after a family tragedy, portraying social ostracism and creeping unease.

familyalienationprejudice and mob mentality
Adaptations
  • [Film] We Have Always Lived in the Castle / Stacy Passon (2018)
Translations
  • We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Japanese translations exist)

The Lottery (short story)

1948 Short story / Social horror 8 pages

A shocking short story about a small town's annual lottery that culminates in a brutal communal ritual.

tradition and violencegroup conformitycruelty hidden in the ordinary
Translations
  • The Lottery (Japanese translations exist)

Bibliography

  • The Road Through the Wall
  • Hangsaman
  • The Bird's Nest
  • The Sundial
  • Life Among the Savages
  • Raising Demons
  • Come Along With Me
  • Just an Ordinary Day
  • The Lottery and Other Stories

Adaptations

  • The Haunting (1963 film)
  • The Haunting (1999 film)
  • The Haunting of Hill House (2018 TV series)
  • We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018 film)
  • Shirley (2019 film; biopic inspired by Shirley Jackson)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clinical observation of ordinary life infused with uneaseconcise prose emphasizing psychological interiority
Recurring Motifs
domestic spacescollective rituals/traditionisolation and mental disintegration

Health

  • Depression and alcoholism (reported)
    生涯後半〜晩年
    Affected creative life and health; poor health in later years likely contributed to her death.

Legacy

A major 20th-century American writer of psychological horror and short fiction. Works such as "The Lottery," "The Haunting of Hill House," and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" have had lasting influence; the Shirley Jackson Awards were established in her name.

In Popular Culture

  • The Haunting adapted to film (1963, 1999) and TV series (2018)
  • Biopic-inspired film "Shirley" (2019) and other works based on her life

Trivia

  • "The Lottery" provoked strong public reaction and criticism when first published in 1948.
  • The Shirley Jackson Awards were established in 2008 in her name (honoring psychological suspense, horror, and dark fantasy).
  • Many of her works have been adapted for film and television and have influenced contemporary horror writers.