The red badge of courage

Hardcover, 183 pages

Published March 2, 1992 by Barnes & Noble.

ISBN:
978-0-88029-899-5
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
26501499

View on OpenLibrary

(48 reviews)

During his service in the Civil War a young Union solider matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.

154 editions

Grim and wordy

The Red Badge of Courage is the earliest dated book I received via this summer’s AudioSYNC programme. An American classic, it was first published in 1895 so is even before the first segment of theBookcrossing Decade Challenge I have joined on Goodreads.

Young Henry Fleming has enlisted to fight in the America Civil War. Naïve to what awaits him, he flees during his first battle, finding himself among wounded men whom Henry sees as displaying their red badges of courage – their bloodstains. After being hit by one of his own side, Henry returns to his regiment where, believing his previous cowardice unnoticed, he seizes the flag when its bearer is killed. Suddenly brave beyond his experience, he leads through intense fighting, remaining unharmed.

Red Badge of Courage is written in an impersonal fashion which I thought both helped and hindered its impact. By not particularly detailing people’s or places’ …

Hard time getting into it, but had some good points

I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. I liked some of it, and other bits of the writing just bugged me like crazy. I got annoyed that the author constantly referred to the main character as "the youth" and occasionally had somebody say his name, Henry. I had to remind myself who this person was.

I will give this book credit, though--if it's trying to get across the futility of being known as a hero, the different sides of cowardice and courage (or what it means to be either), the confusion of fighting and retreating and stopping...then this text succeeded.

Review of 'The Red Badge of Courage ,by Stephen Crane' on 'Goodreads'

 [a:Stephen Crane|19879|Stephen Crane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1197498223p2/19879.jpg]'s [b:The Red Badge of Courage|35220|The Red Badge of Courage|Stephen Crane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327936136l/35220.SY75.jpg|2314709] is one of those books I missed reading in high school and has been sitting around the house for decades. I'd always thought of it as a sort of workman-like book intended for young audiences, in the vein of [a:Esther Forbes|99849|Esther Forbes|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1286395635p2/99849.jpg]'s [b:Johnny Tremain|816870|Johnny Tremain|Esther Forbes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529294679l/816870.SX50.jpg|2683165]. But a few weeks ago, I heard an interview with [a:Paul Auster|296961|Paul Auster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554662932p2/296961.jpg] in which he talked about his recent biography of Crane, [b:Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane|56347224|Burning Boy The Life and Work of Stephen Crane|Paul Auster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614682616l/56347224.SY75.jpg|87795591], in which he makes the case that Crane is the first American Modernist. What Auster said interested me enough that I read Badge and I'm glad I did. It's brilliant and the themes it deals with, war, cowardice, truth, and courage, it does well …

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Subjects

  • Chancellorsville, Battle of, Chancellorsville, Va., 1863 -- Fiction.
  • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction.