War in the mid 19th century: glorify it ('Charge of the Light
Brigade') or depict the reality of the fear, the pride and the
comradeship. Crane did not see any action during the American Civil
War; neither did Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the
Western Front, which took its title from a Civil War report that
all was quiet on the Potomac. Both authors have been held up as
representing the best of the literature of their time and genre,
and with good reason. Crane wanted his book to be a 'psychological
portrayal of fear', yet it does so much more. It brings the basic
emotions down to a level that anyone - combatants and civilians
alike - can understand. There have been several editions of The Red
Badge of Courage during the last ten years. This release contains a
powerful introduction and glowing reviews (George Wyndham, then the
British under Secretary State of War, HG Wells, Theodore Dreiser,
Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway). It also includes a brief short
story 'The Veteran', about the same character as that in Red Badge,
now in his later years, dying as he attempts to rescue his horses
from a barn fire. Red Badge follows the actions of a young soldier,
untried in battle. About to see action, he reflects on whether he
will run from the fighting. Although, determined not to run, he
actually does. Lost, he mixes in with wounded soldiers, witnesses a
wounded friend die, and is hit on the head by a fellow soldier (the
wound is his 'red badge of courage'). Finding his way back to his
regiment, his comrades believe he has actually been wounded. The
next day the regiment are in action, the youth leads a charge and
rallies the men with the flag. Later they beat off a Confederate
attack and the regiment retire, weary but unbowed. The youth has
survived his rite of passage and become a man. The earlier
cowardice has been suppressed and, he feels, more than made up for.
Crane's writing lacks the polish of Bernard Cornwell's 'Rebel'
series, or the epic might of Tom Wicker's Unto this Hour. Search
out Mother May You Never See The Sights I have Seen (edited by
Warren Wilkinson, the regimental history of the 57th Massachusetts
Veteran Volunteers), or Wiley's The Life of Johnny Reb, if you want
to read about the realism of the fighting. Then come back to Crane
and understand what he set out to achieve; to portray how one man,
unable to suppress his fear of battle, fled, returned, conquered
his fear and showed bravery beyond the call of duty. A classic that
ranks beside All Quiet on the Western Front (and perhaps Johnny's
got his Gun by Dalton Trumbo), and despite its literary faults, the
power held within the pages stands the test of time. (Kirkus UK)
One of the greatest works of American literature, The Red Badge of Courage gazes fearlessly into the bright hell of war through the eyes of one young soldier, the reluctant Henry Fleming. Written by Stephen Crane at the age of twenty-one, the novel imagines the Civil War's terror and loss with an unblinking vision so modern and revolutionary that, upon publication, critics hailed it as a work of literary genius. Ernest Hemingway declared, "There was no real literature of our Civil War . . . until Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage."
This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes the short story "The Veteran," Crane's tale of an aged Civil War soldier looking back at his past.
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