Product Description

Following its initial appearance in serial form, Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage was published as a complete work in 1895 and quickly became the benchmark for modern anti-war literature.

Although the exact battle is never identified, Crane based this story of a soldier’s experiences during the American Civil War on the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville. Many veterans, both Union and Confederate, praised the book’s accurate representation of war, and critics consider its stylistic strength the mark of a literary classic.

This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a little-known section entitled The Veteran, which depicts Henry Fleming as an old man discussing his experiences in the Civil War with his grandson. Additionally, a glossary and reader’s notes are provided to help the reader understand the language of 19th century America.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19861 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Customer Reviews

Confusing and emotional story of Civil War courage
The story of young Henry Flemming, who joins the Union army during the Civil War, despite the wishes of his mother to the contrary. Initially, he is consigned to endless marching, seemingly without purpose, amid arrogant boasting and complaints from those in his regiment. Henry wonders how he'll react once he actually sees battle: will he stand and fight, or turn and run. He does both - firing wildly and prematurely in the initial skirmish, but running scared during the second push when he perceives danger and defeat. He seeks to justify his actions (mostly to himself) and eventually winds up being hit in the head by another soldier before being reunited with his regiment, a wound he portrays to his fellows as having been "shot in the head." But when the second battle comes, he uses his false courage (as well as an insult from a General) to stand and fight, and even surprises himself in the fray as he manages to lead a charge. At the end of the story, he feels he has earned a measure of courage and manhood.

While I found the story strangely compelling and at times hard to put down, I also found it rather difficult to understand and follow. And I don't mean the "rural dialect" which was very well done. What I found confusing was the chaotic descriptions of the events. Often I couldn't understand or follow if what was being described was happening to Henry or if he was witnessing it elsewhere or merely imagining it. Nonetheless, this is a book that tugs at your emotions. From Henry's fear to his shamefulness at running from the battle, to his immature boasting (when he hadn't really done anything), to his eventual courage under pressure, it left me feeling quite troubled by the story. It probably didn't help that I kept expecting him to earn a "red badge of courage" and some horrible ending. I suspect that this is a novel that requires a more careful and considered reading than I gave it, and I may read it again in the future to get a better understanding of the story.

Not a kids' book
As a British reader, I just recently read and reviewed this book over on Amazon.co.uk, and I thought I'd have a look at the US reviews for comparison - and immediately realised that this is obviously a "set book" in US schools. I can see the logic - the book is about a young person, it's short and (superficially) exciting, with lots of action, and it has some good moral/ethical themes ripe for class discussion.

Nonetheless, I was not surprised to see a number of negative reviews from kids. I don't think I would have appreciated it as a 13 (or whatever) year old. The writing style (deliberately) reflects the state of mind of the protagonist - confused. This in NOT an "adventure" story, it's a blood-and-guts account of a dirty day in a dirty war. As such, it reminded me very much of some of the recent first-hand accounts of infantrymen in WWII, Korea, Vietnam or even Iraq. It's about the way the mind can obsess on tiny details in the middle of chaos - how sights, smells and sounds become almost hallucinogenic as the mind approaches breaking point. As such, it is astonishing.

But if you want a REAL adventure story (not suitable for the under-13s!) read a biography of Crane himself. Hemingway meets James Dean is the only way to describe it.

Often assigned to the young, but perhaps better appreciated by the mature
I remember this book being recommended reading when I was around junior high school age, and I also remember trying it and putting it down more than once.

Now, at a considerably more mature stage in life, and having opted for an audio reading, I have finally gotten to this classic, and I now appreciate why it is a classic.

The heartless and utter pointless gore of battle, and the profligate waste of human potential, are the kinds of things you'll probably encounter in any war novel, and they can be pretty hard to stomach. But Crane's real object in this work is the human mind and spirit, especially human capriciousness, vanity, and the powerful instinct to constantly justify and elevate oneself and one's actions in one's mind. This work is a blow-by-blow study in the human ego, its folly, and its ultimate vacuity. What is probably even harder to take than watching one's comrades drop in agony like flies to no good purpose is recognizing, though a fickle fighter's internal monologue, one's own deeply entrenched patterns of defensiveness, rationalization and self-justification, along with our constant scramble to seize the credit for anything at all, things we constantly indulge in whether objective circumstances warrant them or not.

Herein lies for me the great value of this exposé of what we futilely try so hard to do in all we do, down to the most mundane of everyday transactions. For this reason, I recommend this book highly, whatever your age, and regardless of your preconceptions about war novels.