History Creator / ShirleyJackson

* HoYay, AmbiguouslyGay and perhaps MistakenForGay and/or BaitAndSwitchLesbians: Clearest in ''Hangsaman'', where Natalie's female friend Tony attempts to seduce her. But partly based on this, reviewers and literary analysts often comment on what look like Lesbian themes or implications in all her work, whether she intended it or not. She was psychologically very self-aware and in her search for further insight she acknowledged that her attraction to yet fear of the idea had more to do with a desire for an independent life, without needing to be married (this was the 1940s and 50s, when women who didn't need or want marriage were often assumed to be gay, and being gay was ''illegal'').

Creator/StephenKing paid homage to her in his dedication to ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'': "To Shirley Jackson, who never had to raise her voice." Carrie's shower of rocks in the first few pages is a ShoutOut to Eleanor's in ''The Haunting of Hill House'', while ''Literature/SalemsLot'' borrows from that novel thematically and uses its famous opening passage as an epigraph.

Creator/StephenKing paid homage to her in his dedication to ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'': "To Shirley Jackson, who never had to raise her voice." Carrie's shower of rocks in the first few pages is a ShoutOut to Eleanor's in ''The Haunting of Hill House'', while ''Literature/SalemsLot'' borrows from that novel thematically and uses its famous opening passage as an epigraph.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Jackson was noted for her ability to take ordinary, mundane settings--a visit to the dentist, buying groceries--and peel back the veil of normalcy to expose the cruelty inherent in such interactions. This is a particular focus in her short stories, but also appears in her novels. No one is ever truly good or innocent in Jackson's writings, not even her own children.

* HornyDevil: A recurrent figure in Jackson's short story is a mysterious man in blue calling himself James Harris, who may or may not be a supernatural creature. Though he rarely appears directly, women seduced by him abandoned their lives and families to pursue him...only to find themselves stranded and alone when he vanishes. (The original edition of her short story collection ''The Lottery'' was even subtitled "The Adventures of James Harris" and the collection ends with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daemon_Lover the ballad of the Daemon Lover]].)

The 1957 film ''Lizzie'' was adpated from her novel ''The Birds' Nest''. (Badly, and Jackson said it was like "Creator/AbbottAndCostello Meet a Multiple Personality.")