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Summary: Historical perspective increases appreciation of this novel.
Review: The literary significance of Stephan Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" is best understood by examining the historical context of its original publication. By 1895 the Civil War had retreated into a gauzy curtain of heroic myth and legend. Those veterans who experienced the horrors of war and might have drawn back the curtain of romantic illusion were, by 1895, themselves subject to the softening gloss of time. The world had yet experienced the "Great War" of 1914, which stripped the world of its innocence. Steven Crane's work was the lone voice of anti-war sentiment at that period of American history. The advent of the visual media has brought war into clearer focus to us of the late 20th century. Stephen Crane broke loose of late 18th century conventions and thereby forged a new direction in literature. It is this historical context that distinguishes and elevates "The Red Badge of Courage" to an American classic.
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Summary: Warning: Must like War Novels
Review: Red Badge of Courage is a civil war period novel using visual imagery and battles as metaphors for the maturing of a young soldier. Though considered a must-read classic, this short novel is overwhelmed with description and is confusing in indentifying characters (some simply have names such as the "tall man").
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Summary: Portrait of Battle
Review: The Red Badge of Courage is a beautifully visual novel in that stark images abound in almost every sentence. In fact, the novel is poetry as much as it is prose. But it is also an American classic as a story. It is indeed remarkable that Crane never went to battle. I haven't either but I can't help but be convinced that men going into battle think as they do in The Red Badge of Courage. In addition, Crane's command of the English language is just that, commanding. Any literate being will find it very easy to follow and understand. Just stick your nose in it. The sentence structures are as straight forward. Read it if you enjoy masterpieces. Only one whose attention span and imagination has been warped by television will consider it boring. The novel is so short and tightly written that it can't fail to be gripping
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Summary: Call me shallow, but.....
Review: Scholars said how impressed they were by Crane's seemingly vast knowledge of the Civil War battlefield. As it turns out, he wasn't born until 1871, six years after the war. Either way it didn't matter. I don't see why they call this book a "classic". His writing is hard to understand and harder to interpret in even the most shallowest of ways. It's not just because of his time period. I've read Twain and his books were 10 times easier to understand, even with his usage of dialogue. You know what, forget Crane and just head over to Twain, who is more worthy of your time. (Not to mention your money
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Summary: The book is an emotional illustration of the civil war .
Review: Through Henry's eyes the reader sees the emotions running through a soldier's mind. The reader learns about the main components of the war, which are war, fear, courage, and comradeship. War is like the grim reaper, who sucks up lives of people whole. War is enabled by hatred against a fellow man.
Fear is an emotion that helps us understand what war is really. Through fear we realize that war takes away lives. Fear also brings upon the idea of survival. "Cowards die a thousand deaths, but the brave die only once."
A war cannot be fought if there was not a person brave enough to fight it. Henry shows his courage by holding the flag in the front of the regiment in the last battle fought.
Comradeship is another main theme in the novel. A war is based upon comradeship. When a person fights a war, he is part of an army. An army where soldiers help each other for the good of their side.
When these four themes are combined, they bring the idea of war. War is a monster, it is a path used to solve difficult problems. It is a substitute for compromise.
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Summary: I would have given it a "0", but it wouldn't let me.
Review: This is a hideously boring book. It drags on with dull language, which can easily put one in a trance. It talks incessantly about needless things and fails to focus on important imagery.
The book refers to characters as "the youth", "the thin soldier", and "the loud soldier". It is hard to keep track of the characters. The lack of intriguing language makes it difficult to focus on the redeeming qualities of the book. I, myself, only noticed one: it accurately portrayed a civil war battle.
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Summary: Stephen Crane's Civil War masterpiece!
Review: "The Red Badge of Courage," written in 1895 by Stephen Crane (1871-1900), is considered by many literary critics to be one of the greatest of all American novels. This is a book about the Civil War, and one Union soldier's struggle with his inner demons as he prepares for, and fights his first battle. Although the story Crane tells is deceptively simple, it reveals, better than any other novel I've read, the full horror of war, and the complexity and unpredictability of human behavior in the crucible of battle. Henry Fleming (always referred to by Crane as "the youth") is a young northerner who, despite his mother's objections, enlists in the Union army with great patriotic fervor. As he awaits his first battle, the youth ponders how he will react: will he stand and fight, or will he flee? The answer comes soon enough. His regiment is attacked by the Confederates; at first the youth stays to fight, but, during a second attack, he watches other soldiers run away from battle in a state of panic. He himself is overcome by fear, and he too flees. The youth finally reaches a state of exhaustion and stops running. Immediately, his conscience begins to gnaw at him. He hears rumors that his regiment has actually stood and won the day against its foe. His thoughts and emotions begin to run the gamut from rationalization, to self-loathing, to fear of being discovered a coward. He continually looks for ways to justify his flight. The youth hears the continuing sound of battle in the distance, and is drawn to it, almost as a moth to a flame; he decides to return to his regiment, but loses his way. As he tries to find his way back to his regiment, he is confronted by people who serve to prick his conscience even further. He witnesses the horrible death of Jim Conklin, one of his friends from his regiment. While walking with a group of wounded soldiers, he is asked by one tattered and probably insane soldier what the nature of his wounds are. Shamed by this inquisition, he runs away, afraid he'll be uncovered as the poltroon he is beginning to believe himself to be. He begins to wish for a "red badge of courage" - a wound - which would signify his bravery in battle. He gets his wish in a roundabout way when he attempts to ask another soldier for directions. He gets into a scuffle and is cut on the head with the soldier's rifle. This becomes his "red badge" when he finally makes it back to his unit; he lies to his comrades-in-arms, saying he received the wound as a result of being shot in the heat of battle. Ultimately, the youth is afforded another opportunity to prove his courage in battle. How he reacts under fire during this new test of his character and courage is the great climactic event of "The Red Badge of Courage." Henry's behavior reveals the lessons he has learned about himself , and shows how he is able to come to terms with his inner demons and the world around him as a result of those lessons. Crane's writing is excellent on most levels. His descriptions of the insane violence of battle is graphically intense, and of reasonable historical accuracy. The one noticeable weakness in Crane's style is his dialogue. Although it is raw and gritty, it is also somewhat unrealistic; all his characters sound like they have southern accents, even though they are supposed to be from New York and other northern states. Still, the dialogue is effective in conveying the essential truth of who did most of the fighting on both sides during the Civil War: tough, profane, and often poor and uneducated men, many who did not know of, or care about, the causes for which they fought and sometimes died. In my view, what sets "The Red Badge of Courage" apart as one of the finest Civil War novels of all time is Crane's brilliant analysis of Henry Fleming's state of mind as he runs away from battle and then attempts to redeem himself. Through Crane's lively pen and sometimes purple prose, I was able to peer into the youth's very soul and understand some of his fears, hopes, intermittent self loathing, and frequent rationalizations, and how those emotions and attitudes drove his behavior during battle. Henry Fleming is certainly not an admirable protagonist! (This may, in fact, have been the first Civil War novel which depicts the central character in less than an idealistic, "knightly" fashion.) He is immature, vain, shallow, and mendacious throughout the book, but is also imbued with an inner strength and the self-discipline which allow him ultimately to triumph over his many character flaws. "The Red Badge of Courage" is indeed a timeless masterpiece of American fiction. It is easy to understand why it ranks alongside such great American novels as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee. "The Red Badge of Courage" is a book to be read and savored!
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Summary: Soldiering on
Review: This is one truly well-crafted book. Crane presented the psychological aspects of war to his readers with precise detail and clarity. Before being sent into battle for the first time, most people would wonder if they had enough courage to fight. Henry Fleming constantly struggled with this idea. My favorite part of the book was when Henry threw a pinecone at a squirrel to see if it would take the hit, or run away. After the squirrel ran from the pinecone, he felt justified for running away from the battle. Although the Civil War was the bloodiest battle in American history, Crane presented the mental struggles more than the physical ones. The Red Badge of Courage expressed many different emotions such as pride, honor, and courage. I strongly recommend this book because of its vivid depiction of the American Civil War. Every young adult should read this book, so they have a better understanding of war. Would also recommend Catch 22, Of Mice and Men, The Bark of the Dogwood, To Kill a Mockingbird.
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Summary: The Red Badge of Courage
Review: Since all the movies and novels and televisions shows about war and being a soldier have bombarded us, this novel seems dated.
I can imagine how great this novel must have been, but since it is the 21st Century, there are many other more interesting and entertaining avenues to go down to learn about the horrors of war and being a soldier.
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Summary: Coming of age in a world torn asunder.....
Review: Having had no prior exposure to The Red Badge of Courage, I had no idea of what to expect. I saw that it was slim, but Heart of Darkness is slim and look how much Conrad packed into that. Shelby Foote's introduction, as much as I admire the man, was the standard intro one finds with all "classics" - more suited to scholars than readers. Thus, I embarked on page one with no previously conceived notion of the book's true worth to me.
And, I loved it. Henry Fleming: greenhorn Yankee, afraid he might run, marches to his appointment with destiny. When faced with the terror of armed conflict, hand-to-hand butchery, a violent death, his fears materialize and he skedaddles. It is during this flight that Fleming's fortitude hardens. Stephen Crane artfully allows the reader to observe in detail a youthful mind steel itself to horror.
Ultimately, Henry Fleming takes his place as a battle-hardened veteran, a hero, a man owning courage with which to regale the folks back home. It is this transition that Crane presents so exquisitely - from cowardice to courage, red badge and all.
The Red Badge of Courage isn't a tome in size or in scope. It isn't specific as to where, when, or why. It seeks not to explain notable events, but to portray an excruciating process. It does so exceedingly well. 5 stars.
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