Winnifred[lower-alpha 1] "Wendy" Torrance is a fictional character and protagonist of the 1977 horror novel The Shining by the American writer Stephen King. She also appears in the prologue of Doctor Sleep, a 2013 sequel to The Shining.
Wendy Torrance | |
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The Shining character | |
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Last appearance |
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Created by | Stephen King |
Portrayed by | Shelley Duvall (1980) Rebecca De Mornay (1997) Kelly Kaduce (2016) Alex Essoe (2019) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Winnifred "Wendy" Torrance |
Family | Aileen (sister; deceased) |
Spouses | Jack Torrance (husband) |
Children | Danny Torrance (son) |
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (October 2022) |
She is portrayed by Shelley Duvall in the 1980 film adaptation of the novel directed by Stanley Kubrick, by Rebecca De Mornay in the 1997 television miniseries directed by Mick Garris, and played by Alex Essoe in the 2019 film adaptation of Doctor Sleep directed by Mike Flanagan.
Unlike Jack Torrance, little of Wendy's background is revealed in the novel. A bad relationship with her emotionally abusive mother is mentioned.[1] 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,[2] leading to some critics to refer to the character as "two different versions of Wendy Torrance".[3] Stephen King has often stated that Wendy's submissiveness is one of the main reasons for his aversion to Kubrick's film.[4] 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.[5]
Other critics have spoken of the novel's Wendy as a "modern Gothic heroine",[6] although not stereotyped.[7]
Stephen King's The Shining | |||||||
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Characters created by Stephen King | |
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Carrie | |
'Salem's Lot | |
The Shining / Doctor Sleep | |
The Dark Tower | |
It | |
The Stand |
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Miscellaneous |
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