Realism in the Literary World
The year is 1861 and the American Civil War has just begun. The men are on their way to fight courageously in the war. Stephen Crane was able to capture this war in a new way. In his novel The Red Badge of Courage he describes the mental experiences the protagonists of the story, Henry goes through rather than the experiences he indoors with his surrounding. This novel does a great job in capturing the psychological war that any soldier could have when questioning their bravery. Crane became a famous author after writing his first novel which he gained a great reputation from. Crane affected the literary world by being a realist author. He was someone who truly captured the essence of real life events. He captured
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Crane’s father was a Methodist minister and his mother was a writer for religious articles. Two of his brothers were journalist. Crane was the last child of writer Mary Helen Peck Crane and Reverend Jonathan Townley Crane, but he was raised by his eldest sister, Agnes. Crane attended a preparatory school located at Claverack College. In 1888 he started school at Hudson River Institute and Claverack College. These were military schools where he was able to develop his passion for Civil War Studies. Later on in his life, he spent two years at Lafayette College in Easton Pennsylvania. In 1881 he decided to move to Syracuse University, in Upstate New York. A few years down the line he went to live with one of his brothers in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1897, Crane met Cora Taylor, they go married. In 1898 Crane went to report about the Spanish-American War. On his trip he got sick of tuberculosis and malaria; since he got sick Crane had to report back to America that July. Later on, after getting sick he made a trip back to cover the war. He was living in Havana, while it was still under the control of the Spanish. In March 1900, he became severely ill, and on a trip to restore his health he died in Badenweiler, Germany on June 5th. Even though he died really young at the age of 28, he was still able to obtain a normal life, as well as have normal life experiences. His experiences in travel and the exposure he has
Crane’s approach to writing about the war was fresh because, of the fact that we were basically inside the heads of one of the soldiers(henry). We could feel how he felt and we knew his fears. Besides that Crane was blunt about how disorganized the war was.
Stephen Crane was born on November 1st, 1871. He wrote several books such as Maggie and Georges Mother, but The Red Badge of Courage was by far his best work and biggest seller. In 1900 he became ill and was nearly broke so he couldn’t afford his multiple health treatments. On June 5th, 1900 he died and left his belongings to Cora Taylor, a close friend.
Stephen Crane’s use of metaphors and similes, personification and imagery are very affective in the book The Red Badge of Courage. It is clearly expressed throughout the whole book. Learning it from Henry the main character on his journey during his time in the war when he hated it most. All he wanted after being in war forever was the red badge of courage for his bravery and courage.
In today’s issue, we will be covering all the major events that have transpired in The Red Badge of Courage as a sort of “catch-up” for new readers. Firstly, it all began when young Henry Fleming enlisted in the Union Army, wanting to fight for his country. He expects war to be thrilling and exciting, and for him to come back a decorated hero, praised by the town. However, it starts out far from his dreams. Instead, his regiment is only told to stay where they are, drilling and training over and over again and abstaining from any combat. Finally, his wish is granted as his regiment moves out, but not in the way they expected. The “moving” simply consisted of them stopping in one area, settling down, then being ordered to move again, repeating
The Novel, The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, is about a Union Regiment during the civil war that is stationed along a riverbank. Henry Flemming is a newcomer who is bothered about his bravery because there is a rumor the regiment is going to go to battle. The only reason Henry was drawn to enlist was because he wanted to become a war hero. The main conflict is internal. When Henry has to go into battle and risk his life, he realizes that there is no turning back, and he could not run if he tried. The climax occurs when he is enraged by another soldier, Jim Conklin, and takes out his anger on the confederates, impressing the lieutenant. Additionally, Wilson, his friend, and him hear another lieutenant say that the 304th regiment fights like “mule drivers.” The two friends set out to disprove his claim. For example, when the regiment’s color bearer dies, Henry assumes his duties. After continuing to face more adversity from the lieutenants, they work harder and harder to become the best in the regiment. The resolution occurs when Henry finally realizes joining the war is not about reputation or becoming a hero, it is about fighting for a cause that is worth fighting for. At the end of the novel, Flemming reflects on the war and on how he learned the meaning of true courage. (251 Words)
“The Red Badge of Courage” written by Stephen THE Crane was a great example of the works that the author penned. Stephen Crane was born in New Jersey on November 1, 1871. Crane was the youngest of fourteen children and attend a few different preparatory schools and colleges before deciding that he wanted to be a journalist and an author. He wrote first of things that had happened in New York City, but once he decided for sure that this was what he wanted to do, he threw himself into writing and consequently, wound up writing some of the most interesting books and stories written in those times. Crane was very interested in the Civil War and many of the books he wrote were descriptive of that. Crane also, at one point published works under a pseudonym of “Johnston Smith.” Crane did much traveling during his life, always trying to write a better novel then the one before, but before long he ran out of money. Also, his health was failing, and Crane found out he had tuberculosis. He died at the very young age of 28. Even after his death, his literature was being discovered by many and consequently, he had many novels and stories published after his death. “The Red Badge of Courage” was his most recognized and honored pieces of work and even to this day, schools all over the country have children that love to read this story.
This lack of personal perspective in no way serves to hamper Crane’s staggering ability to paint prosaically and then, heroically beyond question, transform his own mighty pen into a proverbial sword. The author explains it best: “When I regularly read first-person accounts from soldiers serving in the Civil War, I often wondered how they felt. Their writing leaves them (and me) as emotionless as
During Crane’s time in New York he wrote pieces for the “New York Tribune.” He also wrote his first novel entitled Maggie. In 1894 Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage, which became cranes most famous novel (285). Stephen Crane survived the ship wreck of Commodore which permanently impaired his health, in 1897 (285). This event is what led Crane to write “The Open Boat.” Three years later on June 5th, 1900 crane died at a sanitarium in Badeweiler, Germany (285).
Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage to depict realistic depiction of war and violence. He sought to transform events from the Civil War (which happened three decades earlier) into everyday depictions of an ordinary, young soldier. Although he did not participate in the actual events of the Civil War, Crane delivered an imagination of circumstances that were precise and accurate in description. The pessimistic point of view from both Crane and the main character, Henry Fleming, serves to explain the clashing concepts of glory and gore in wartime. By comparing the mental processes of Henry and the setting of the novel (primarily a battleground or within the regiment), the audience was subject to the immorality and corruption of human
Stephen Crane was one of America’s most influential nineteenth century writers of realism. He was credited for being a novelist, short-story-writer, poet, and journalist. He was born on November 1, 1871, in Newark, New Jersey, as Stephen Townley Crane. Stephen was the youngest sibling of fourteen children (“Stephen Crane Biography”). His writing inspiration came from his family. His mother dedicated her life to social concerns, while his father was a Methodist minister. Two of Crane’s brothers were journalists so it was destined for Stephen Crane to become a writer. His passion came from his parents and the insights from his family life. He attended preparatory school at Claverack College, where he developed a better concept of the Civil
The author of the book “ Red Badge of Courage” Stephen Crane was born on November 1, 1871 and June 5 ,1900. Through his life he wrote many interesting books. In my opinion, I think that Stephen Crane wrote the book “ Red Badge of Courage” because he want to tell us about the things that happen in the Civil War,but some of the events might not be real.Unlike the other book,this book tell things that happen in the Civil War.Some other book may be like “The Great War” may be like this book, but in my opinion I think this book is more realistic than other this kind of
The Civil War officially started in 1861, yet problems between the North and the South date back as far as the early 1830s. The North was infuriated over slavery after a woman by the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe published her book Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe's book analyzed the life of a slave in an astonishing and realistic way. It caused many people to join the Union. Then the war began in July of 1861 when a Confederate army met with a Federal army at Manassen, Virginia. Many battles were fought until finally the north was victorious. Slavery was abolished, and the federal government's power was set as supreme power over all the land.
People tend to be greatly influenced by stories, news, and other contemporary sources of knowledge, which ultimately affects the impact they have on the world. Stephen Crane was greatly impacted by the time period in which he lived. One such influence was the popular literary style of Realism. Realism is the trend in which literature is based on the true nature of everyday occurrences devoid of any fantasy or romance. It is the raw depiction of what life and society is actually like. This literary style can be found in many of Stephen Crane’s novels. Religion also had a significant impact on the way Stephen Crane wrote his novels. He was an atheist which brought about the idea that humans are just part of nature and must solve their own problems without the intervention of a higher being. This notion is evident with the protagonist of The Red Badge of Courage. Henry Fleming, a young union soldier in the Civil War, must overcome the fear of putting his life at risk to achieve what he wants most which is honor. Honor comes from actively participating in battle and sacrificing his life for the cause. Honor is physically represented from a wound noted as the “Red Badge”. In the end Henry doesn’t consult in a higher being and achieves what he wants most by overcoming the mental obstacles and ultimately finding the strength within to realize what courage actually is. Accompanied by the literary movements and his religion, his time period was heavily influenced by the
The Red Badge of Courage, written by Stephan Crane in 1895 gives a detailed, yet, fictional account of Henry Fleming, a farm boy who joins the Union Army in the American Civil War. Before Henry is battle-tested, he ponders his courage and questions whether he will be able to fight the urge to flee from battle. Henry does indeed end up deserting his comrades however he ultimately overcomes his guilt and becomes one of the best fighters in his regiment. In order to depict a realistic and relatable war scene, Crane includes Henry’s realistic thought-process and emotion in his struggles to maintain courage. The narrative simply revealed war in a manner that was divergent to all prior forms of literature in the 19th century. Previous novels predominately entailed the glorious and romantic aspects of war rather than the tedious, gritty, and gruesome details of close combat. Instead, Crane broke the barriers of literary norms in war-related literature; the novel depicted a pragmatic experience of combat from the eyes of an inexperienced and frightened youth. In the Red Badge of Courage, Stephan Crane primarily uses religious and gory imagery as well as symbolism to contrast the romantic conceptions of war versus the reality of experiencing battle.
Born in November 1, 1871, Stephen Crane was an astonishing American poet and short story writer. He wrote many memorable works, which we even remember to this day and generation. Crane was one of the greatest authors in his generation. Crane began writing at only the age of 4 and published many pieces when he turned 16. Crane’s writing journey began with his first novel called A Girl of the Streets, in which critics really enjoyed and had a high praise or acclaim for. Crane wrote one of his more popular novels, The Red Badge of Courage, in which he wrote without having any war experience what so ever. He even based one of his novels on a real life experience. When Crane was travelling to Cuba, his ship sank from the coast of Florida, which