What Is The Red Badge Of Courage
Although Stephen Crane had never fought in the American Civil War, most of those who interacted with him assumed otherwise. With his immense attention to the detail of emotions over the detail of war, Crane was able to craft tales so convincing one would have thought him a soldier. In fact, he pioneered a way of Naturalistic writing that told a story primarily through strong emotions; a style quite like his was seldom seen before he popularized it. While the novel’s plot may or may not seem to be relevant and relatable today, the lessons that lie beneath the surface are far from outdated. Crane left a large mark in literary history with his themes and realistic portrayal of the emotions of war and slum life. (more? more.) Crane, in the same fashion as every other author, started in extraordinarily humbling beginnings. Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey, on November 1 in 1871. He was the youngest
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of fourteen children born to Jonathan Townley Crane, a Methodist Minister, and Mary Helen Peck Crane, a writer and suffragette (Moore). His family moved from state to state for several years until 1880, when his father died. The Crane family was then rooted in New York. (Back cover?). It was in this state that young Crane made the acquaintance of John van Petten, a former officer in the Civil War. Petten spoke to Crane of his encounters and experience. Crane memorized every detail of Petten’s stories, fascinated by the reality of war (VanGoey, Robert). Stephen enrolled in Lafayette College, but left after the first semester when his academic struggles overtook his successes. From Lafayette College, Crane moved to Syracuse University. Unfortunately, his interest in baseball was more powerful than his drive for education, and thus failed five of his classes. The only class he passed well above the benchmark was English. After his university woes concluded, Crane found a job as a journalist for the New York Times. His career did not last; Crane wrote a satirical article covering an event, and was promptly fired. This did not discourage him, and he continued working as a freelance journalist. In 1891, Crane— under the pen name “Johnston Smith”— published his first novel. He wrote it in two days and was unable to find a publisher willing to accept his grim depiction of slum life; as a result, he chose to self-publish it (VanGoey, Robert). The book did not bring him success, but it did attract some mild praise for his writing style from several critics. Crane was not discouraged by this, however, and wrote his first draft of The Red Badge of Courage in 1893. When it was finally published in 1895, it became a must-read in both the United States and England (VanGoey, Robert). From his mild and unextraordinary beginnings, Crane rose to be an internationally acclaimed author. The theme woven throughout Crane’s aforementioned best-seller— courage is necessary to overcome great obstacles— proves its importance today just as it did when it was first released.
Crane wanted to explore an old theme, but give it a new and realistic twist; thus was born The Red Badge of Courage. The old theme was courage in adverse circumstances, one that was common throughout literature. The new spin was something shocking and real: the horrors of war. Rather than speak about what was truly going on in a war zone with great detail, Crane focused his story through an emotional lens. He showed the reader not what was happening to the soldier only on the battlefield, but also in his mind— the conflict between fear and bravery became real to readers. The true terror of war was something that had been commonly removed from war stories; instead, battlefield glory and weak heroism filled the pages. Crane’s depiction of battle was a shock to his readers, since he satirized the heroism typically found in novels and replaced the romance of war with the truth.
(more) Praises instantly appeared with the release of the novel. The Red Badge of Courage became a near-overnight best-seller. A critic from New Review recognized the commonality of Crane’s theme, but calls to attention that Crane handled it in a new fashion— a fashion, the critic says, in which “the stuff of which masterpieces are made”. The critic continued to praise Crane by calling his detail of war is “more complete than Tolstoi’s, more true than Zola’s”. An anonymous writer of the New York Times recognized Crane’s talent in storytelling, because “it strikes the reader as a statement of facts by a veteran”.
Of course, where praise appears, criticism spawns as well. Criticisms, however harsh they were, still applauded Crane for some aspects of his novel. The same author who praised Crane in the New York Times had but one criticism for Crane. His “affectations of style” bothered the article’s author, who recommended that “the author would do well to correct” said strange statements.
of fourteen children born to Jonathan Townley Crane, a Methodist Minister, and Mary Helen Peck Crane, a writer and suffragette (Moore). His family moved from state to state for several years until 1880, when his father died. The Crane family was then rooted in New York. (Back cover?). It was in this state that young Crane made the acquaintance of John van Petten, a former officer in the Civil War. Petten spoke to Crane of his encounters and experience. Crane memorized every detail of Petten’s stories, fascinated by the reality of war (VanGoey, Robert). Stephen enrolled in Lafayette College, but left after the first semester when his academic struggles overtook his successes. From Lafayette College, Crane moved to Syracuse University. Unfortunately, his interest in baseball was more powerful than his drive for education, and thus failed five of his classes. The only class he passed well above the benchmark was English. After his university woes concluded, Crane found a job as a journalist for the New York Times. His career did not last; Crane wrote a satirical article covering an event, and was promptly fired. This did not discourage him, and he continued working as a freelance journalist. In 1891, Crane— under the pen name “Johnston Smith”— published his first novel. He wrote it in two days and was unable to find a publisher willing to accept his grim depiction of slum life; as a result, he chose to self-publish it (VanGoey, Robert). The book did not bring him success, but it did attract some mild praise for his writing style from several critics. Crane was not discouraged by this, however, and wrote his first draft of The Red Badge of Courage in 1893. When it was finally published in 1895, it became a must-read in both the United States and England (VanGoey, Robert). From his mild and unextraordinary beginnings, Crane rose to be an internationally acclaimed author. The theme woven throughout Crane’s aforementioned best-seller— courage is necessary to overcome great obstacles— proves its importance today just as it did when it was first released.
Crane wanted to explore an old theme, but give it a new and realistic twist; thus was born The Red Badge of Courage. The old theme was courage in adverse circumstances, one that was common throughout literature. The new spin was something shocking and real: the horrors of war. Rather than speak about what was truly going on in a war zone with great detail, Crane focused his story through an emotional lens. He showed the reader not what was happening to the soldier only on the battlefield, but also in his mind— the conflict between fear and bravery became real to readers. The true terror of war was something that had been commonly removed from war stories; instead, battlefield glory and weak heroism filled the pages. Crane’s depiction of battle was a shock to his readers, since he satirized the heroism typically found in novels and replaced the romance of war with the truth.
(more) Praises instantly appeared with the release of the novel. The Red Badge of Courage became a near-overnight best-seller. A critic from New Review recognized the commonality of Crane’s theme, but calls to attention that Crane handled it in a new fashion— a fashion, the critic says, in which “the stuff of which masterpieces are made”. The critic continued to praise Crane by calling his detail of war is “more complete than Tolstoi’s, more true than Zola’s”. An anonymous writer of the New York Times recognized Crane’s talent in storytelling, because “it strikes the reader as a statement of facts by a veteran”.
Of course, where praise appears, criticism spawns as well. Criticisms, however harsh they were, still applauded Crane for some aspects of his novel. The same author who praised Crane in the New York Times had but one criticism for Crane. His “affectations of style” bothered the article’s author, who recommended that “the author would do well to correct” said strange statements.