Showing results by author "Stephen Crane" in All Categories

Here are eight stories from master American writers of the 19th century. They vary from sinister tales by Ambrose Bierce - why is that window boarded up? - and a reflective moment in the life of a woman without children, but forced to look after children, to classic short stories by O. Henry and Stephen Crane. There is even an elegiac description of an eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Last of the Mohicans.

The Red Badge of Courage is a masterpiece about a young private in the Union Army whose youthful enthusiasm about the glory of Civil War battle gives way to increasing doubt and worry. He fears that when he comes to be tested in his first encounter on the battlefield, he will be found deficient of courage.

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a ground breaking novel relating to the precarious state of women in the new industrial world at the end of the 19th century. One blemish on a reputation and a woman would often be banned from her house, subject to earning her living on the streets, and often dying young as Maggie does.

The setting is the civil war, and the hero (or anti-hero as it seems at first) is Henry Flemming, a young Northern boy who, swept up in the patriotic tide, joins the Union Army. He is plunged into the conflict, and his courage fails him - he runs from his first battle. He finds out later that his side was victorious, and he feels that he will never be able to face himself or his comrades again. He slowly recovers his courage in time for a crucial confrontation.

One of the great war novels, The Red Badge of Courage describes the first experience of front-line combat through the eyes of a young recruit, Henry Fleming, in one of the battles of the American Civil War. Under the stress of battle, Fleming is forced to face strong, conflicting emotions, ranging from bravado to terror as the conflict ebbs and flows.

How far would a father go to keep his daughter from marrying the wrong man? Rufus Coleman, the respected editor of the New York Eclipse, plans to marry Marjory Wainwright. Yet to her father, Professor Wainwright, Rufus is still the wastrel that he thought him to be as a student in college.

This is the stunning story of a young man's psychological reactions to combat. It is a realistic picture of a youth's emotional journey from greenhorn to bloodied veteran of the American Civil War.

"An Experiment in Misery" in a story similar to "The Men in the Storm" except that it focuses on one character, and a new fellow traveler called the Assassin, who struggle for warmth and a place for the night. The main character stops first at a saloon for free soup with a beer, where he meets the Assassin. The Assassin accosts the man seeking a few cents for a room.

"Flanagan" is a story not dissimilar from "The Open Boat", except that the captain dies in "Flanagan" but not in the "Open Boat". Flanagan is hired to take a ship, aptly named the Foundling, down to Cuba to run guns and people into that country. He does so in a rickety old boat and does a good job. A gun boat finds them and barrels at them at top speed. Rather than just running, the natural instinct, Flanagan turns his ship towards the small gun boat, an unexpected chess move....

"The Monster" is considered one of Crane's top four stories, but is left out of many collections. Don't miss it. It's a wonderful telling about the town of Whilomville, in which Henry Johnson lives and other Crane stories are set as well, including "The Knife".

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane is considered one of the most influential works in American literature. The novel, a depiction of the cruelty of the American Civil War, features 18-year-old private Henry Fleming who deserts his battalion. He later learns that his battalion has won the battle, and returns to them. The next morning, Fleming goes into battle for the third time and becomes one of the best fighters, finally proving his courage as a man.

"The Knife" is a story about temptation, a near betrayal, and then a recovery. A cycle of danger and redemption, told with Crane's ironic touch. A black man with a penchant for fun jokes with the White owner of a watermelon patch. They both enjoy the racial stereotyping image of the black man being entranced by watermelons. Well, Peter Washington has a moment of such entrancement. He tells his friend Alek Williams and they work themselves into a fit of envy about those watermelons....

"The Men in the Storm" is a warm story by Stephen Crane relating to the struggles of homeless men against the cold, the elements, and hunger, while trying to keep a certain level of human dignity and optimism.

Edmond O'Brien reads the 1895 war novel by Stephen Crane. Considered one of the most influential works in American literature it features a young recruit in the American Civil War who is faced by the cruelty of war.

An Experiment in Luxury is the book end of all this as a young man visits his rich friend and his millionaire family. It is a conventional scene where the young man's friend, son of the household, encourages him to speak only conventionally to his mother or he will get on her bad side. We see her preoccupied with her worries and the husband/millionaire taking his mind off of it all by playing with a kitten.

"The Veteran" features Henry Fleming as a grandfather, many years after he appeared as the 18-year-old Yankee first-time soldier in The Red Badge of Courage. He retells the story succinctly and honestly about how he ran from his first battle as so many did. His grandchild is alarmed, as children are when they learn that adults are not perfect in what they do.

"A Great Mistake", which is quite short, is an unexpected Stephen Crane jewel. Crane is best known for three short stories, "The Open Boat", thought by many to be the best short story ever written, "The Blue Hotel", and "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky". Simply has recorded over ten more stories that deserve to be right up there with the top three. As Simply says, this is not an NFL Power ranking, or a compare and contrast assignment.

This is the third of the best Stephen Crane short stories, with "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel" being the other two. The story starts in an interesting way as the older sheriff has gone to another town to marry a not so young and not so beautiful woman who he is obviously devoted to.

When George hears his mother is sick, he comes home immediately despite looking uncool to his rowdy friends, and soothes his mother. He shows his deep caring for her which moves her as well. Critics have spoken about George's being a drunk, an alcoholic, and the like. But that is not core to the story because George keeps his job for a long time; when he loses it, much of that is because he has been led into thinking work is not cool, to use the modern term.

"An Episode of War", which is quite short, is an unexpected Stephen Crane jewel. Crane is best known for three short stories, "The Open Boa"t, thought by many to be the best short story ever written, "The Blue Hotel", and "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky". "An Episode of War" is perhaps the best known of the other ten Crane stories.