The Red Badge of Courage & The Veteran

by Stephen Crane, Shelby Foote (Introduction)

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.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Civil War, War, Novels, Literature

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet and journalist, best known for the novel, The Red Badge of Courage. That work introduced the reading world to Crane's striking prose, a mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He died at age 28 in Badenweiler, Baden, Germany.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Kaya Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5

Literally just giving the extra half star because I felt like the author had some beautiful writing (if it weren't so old-fashioned!)

[Leigh Tarpley]

Every moment i was reading this book I wanted to burn it

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story. The tale is really about the psychology of a soldier fighting his first battle. The story concerns Henry Fleming who volunteers from the Civil war and his subsequent reactions to his first introduction to war where he deserts because of fear but who then redeems himself in a second battle.

[Christy Gould]

What a drag to read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crane writes in a way that is easy reading. Even though it is a war novel, most of the action takes place in the mind of the main character, Henry Fleming. It is amazing how insecure Fleming is, not about the fighting per se but more about what other people think of him. In a way it was like reading a book about mean girls in high school. I found the novel a bit Brechtian in the sense that it seemed like the author was deliberately trying to keep the reader from identifying with the main character. The Fleming wasn't in the least likable until the end of the novel when he redeemed himself.
My favorite passage in the book appears in the middle of Chapter 17. During a battle scene Crane threw in a description of Fleming that seemed to come out of nowhere, since he didn't do it in any other part of the book. Reading the passage I would swear that Crane was gay, though he was supposed to have been heterosexual. Here it is:
"He crouched behind a little tree, with his eyes burning hatefully and his teeth set in a curlike snarl. The awkward bandage was still about his head, and upon it, over his wound, there was a spot of dry blood. His hair was wondrously tousled, and some straggling, moving locks hung over the cloth of the bandage down toward his forehead. His jacket and shirt were open at the throat, and exposed his young bronzed neck. There could be seen spasmodic gulpings at his throat."

[Lyman Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reread this book after about 25 years, but it did not age well. I was hoping that this would be relevant to our current war-ridden times, but I think there are better options out there, such as My War: Killing Time in Iraq, by Colby Buzzell (California liberal slacker goes to war for a steady job), and Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq, by Jason Christopher Hartley (educated kid from a military family goes to Iraq and learns it is not all it was cracked up to be, but still learns to love the military).

Either of these books is more relevant to our times. Interestingly, the main character in Red Badge, Henry Fleming, is very similar to the writers of the above books, they are young, a bit idealistic about the experience of war, and shocked when faced with the reality of war. They come out of this experience changed - if for the better or worse is yet to be seen.

My major beef with Red Badge was the descriptions went on and on. Maybe a younger reader needs that much emphasis, but I pretty much got the idea the second or third time around, and didn't need the description battered into my head a dozen times.

[Nikolas Kalar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though, without a doubt, a powerful and effective novel that certainly earns its gut-wrenching reputation, for my money, Stephen Crane is a much better story composer than he is a novelist. The short story included with this edition -- a sequel of sorts, The Veteran -- is considerably more enjoyable to read. Crane's prose are sluggish and tiring in the full form of a novel, but with the fire at his feet, in the limited frame of a short story, he writes with an authors fervor that is hard to deny.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Red Badage of Courage" is a classic fictional account of a Union soldier in the American Civil War, but the author gives us so much more than an entertaining tale. The book is a landmark in American literature in the way it delves deeply into the internal psychological struggles of the protagonist. Stephen Crane brings a deft insight to the telling of this story which explores the meaning of integrity and humanity. This edition is augmented by a well-written prologue by Civil War historian Shelby Foote.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those books I had been meaning to read for a long time. The writing is poetic in form but the author does not romanticize the subject matter. The main character is a human being and an individual but at the same time he has the feeling of a man whose life is out of his control. He can only react to his surroundings and his reactions feel very real.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never read this before, but wanted to after hearing a lecture on it. Can't say I really enjoyed the book, though it helped to understand that it was a significant step toward modern literature. It's a book that doesn't glorify war, but sees it psychologically and impressionistically through the eyes of one young soldier fighting in the Union cause. He enlists with romantic notions of war, and is disabused of these during his first battle, when he drops his rifle and runs for his life. He encounters dead people and sees one of his friends die from his wounds. After spending hours trying to justify his running away and trying to hide the shame of it from other soldiers, he reenters his unit, lying about what he did. He then engages in battle, for all the wrong reasons, but with valor. The follow-up story, The Veteran, shows this young soldier as an old man, a grandfather, admitting his cowardice during his first battle, but once again showing his valor in a dangerous emergency. Can't say I really identified with Henry. Wasn't pleased to know the author wrote it without ever being in a war, but at least he read accounts of soldiers of the Civil War, and tried to write a story that changed the narrative about war.

[Whiskey Tango · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Fleming — the youth whose tale is told — is worried throughout whether he will find he’s a man of traditional courage, or whether he’ll find that he is a coward. And he thinks the way he’ll find this out is by going into battle. Then he runs away from battle, and feels that he is a coward. But then he realizes that no one actually saw him run, and so he feels better about himself. He convinces himself that he had run with dignity, while others who fled looked like chickens.

The other interesting thing about Henry Fleming is that in a later story that Crane wrote, called ‘The Veteran,’ he tells us the tale of how Henry Fleming dies. This happens thirty years later: having survived the war, he’s in a grocery store with his grandson and he’s joking about how he had fled when he fought for the Union Army. He never would have joked like this when he was 17. His grandson is there and is just shocked to see his grandfather make a joke about running. He’s scandalized. But then the second half of the story tells of how Henry’s barn catches fire and he dies rescuing animals from it. So the courage is there but it seems like a courage that is not driven by the fear of being cowardly, it seems driven by a love of all God’s creatures.

[Kelsey Dangelo-Worth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic of American Naturalism, a story of war, fear, courage, and coming of age.
We were assigned this in 10th grade and then the teacher said “never mind”.
I always knew—super nerd, super student that I am—that I would eventually have to read it to feel complete. It took me 27 years, but it’s done.
I think it is one of those books that is more impactful at the time when it was revolutionary. The style is realistic to the chaos of battle. The youth is rarely named, nor the war or the sides. It mostly doesn’t glorify battle, but the ultimate theme is not anti-war. Without knowing what the youth fights for, this doesn’t sit well with me. But maybe that’s the point? I also can’t help but be skeptical when the author never saw battle himself. Makes it removed from being a primary source. I just finished the brilliant and moving All Quiet on the Western Front and this suffers by comparison.

[Jenny Mullin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably a 3.5 for me. This was the second time I read this book, and I liked it better the second time -- knowing what is going to happen. At times, it seems to ramble on, and you don't understand what the author is getting to. This is more a psychological tale of a young man who enters the Civil War thinking he is going to return a glorious hero or dead and who then vacillates between intense fear, shame, guilt, and justification before finally coming to terms with what true courage looks like. I'm anxious to see what my group of 6 teen boys in our book club thinks of it.
NOTE: You really need to read "The Veteran" after you finish the novel.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crane elegantly writes about gender in The Red Badge of Courage, tackling how manhood is achieved, and the lengths to which a youth may be compelled to go to prove himself a man. Issues of audience, social construction, and imagination are revealed to be central to identity-formation for Henry Fleming, making for a nuanced and honest meditation on the relationship between socially-constructed masculinity and the fighting of war.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I know I read this book in high school, I did not remember that it was so full of extended war scenes, all viewed through a fog of smoke, gun powder, clouds and actual fog. I remembered Henry's character and all his dilemmas and trials -- lots of internal dialogue here. I think it might have worked better as a short story, but it has moved me to re-read Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. A more powerful antiwar novel, I think.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had always wanted to read this book but it has taken me a long time to get around to it. I was fascinated by how complete a history of any war it could be in such a few amount of pages. The effect of war on an individual is fully on display with this book and I have come to understand why so many have called it a classic.

[AMR · Rating 3 out of 5]

246.

[Hans Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book! The narration was poetic. But I hate the dialogues cause it doesn't make sense. HAha but the ending was marked in my mind and i can't forgot it I almost cried at that moment.

[Noam · Rating 2 out of 5]

(1.5/5)

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written, but not my cup of tea.

[H.L. Gibson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So very forgettable.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

pretty good. short old book.

[Addison Beatty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very dull. There were some parts where I valued the figurative language and detail, but it was overall incredibly boring. The plot consisted of battles, the soldiers going to bed, and the soldiers marching. That was it.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand it’s a classic but it was boring even for a classic.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading and interesting story, but it’s not unlike a lot of other Civil War novels I’ve read. It takes a deep looking into the psyche of a soldier in his first battle, and the following survivors guilt. Pretty good!

[Kip Lowery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am taking some time to read some of the books for my 15-year-old daughter’s literature class, and just finished reading “Red Badge of Courage.” I have discussed some part with her already, but I wanted to write a short review about the book, just to pull from my brain the impression it made upon me—nothing fancy or not super in-depth. (some spoilers)

My wife and daughter said she cried at parts, and so, having cried at Where the Red Fern Grows, I prepped myself. But I just did not get the emotional connection she did—I take that back. She connected to the slaughter, but I didn’t. It was too vague for me. I connected very intimately with the youth, but not the countless soldiers dying around him. I thought the writing was stiff and staccato, and was distracting. It was a curious mixture of Civil War slang and sophisticated language, and I thought some of the imagery was odd or forced.

One month out of high school I was in U.S. Army basic training, learning a whole new definition of fear, pain and torture. I remember going through those same thoughts about courage and cowardice. I tried to put myself into scenarios and ask honestly—would I function? Would I run? Would I fight? Would I actually kill someone? I remember sitting and realizing the foolishness of my childish fantasies of war. This was real—a real gun with real bullets and real bullets would be fired at me. Was I really a coward or not?

I have also trained in martial arts and have felt, at times during intense sparring, that almost hysterical, ragged animal rage and exhausted focus on survival. I am not saying it is anything like time in combat, just that I have felt it. I thought the book portrayed these characteristics well. I was especially moved when he fled in battle and his mind writhed with shame and self-justifications. Also, in his first conflict after returning to his regiment, he went into a blind fury, continuing to fire when the enemy had gone. He notes that other stare at him and concludes they are admiring him, when we suspect they don’t.

Overall, this book paints a portrait of a boy transitioning to veteran, embodying the flag and leading others in the charge. I believe instinctively that every soldier must go through this process of innocence, intensity, shame, insanity, and resolution. I thought there was more violence going on in his heart and mind than there was on the field of battle.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Red Badge of Courage is the kind of book that is best read slowly and carefully, otherwise it can become confusing, and you won't be able to experience the beauty of the marvelous writing as well. The story feels unrushed, even in many of the action sequences. It feels like Stephen Crane just sort of let the words flow together and slowly evolve as he shows the ever-shifting emotions of a young Civil War soldier. I can easily see how people could find this book slow or dull, but I think it can also be a rewarding reading experience if you take your time with it.

The first thing that always strikes me about this classic is the writing, especially the imagery. Crane is very descriptive, and that sometimes slows down the action, but the prose is really lovely, especially in the nature scenes. Henry Fleming, the young protagonist, is not always the most likable character; he often comes across as moody, immature, and a bit selfish. However, he is a very believable and human character who is much more mature by the end. Actually, Henry seems to serve as a vehicle for the emotions Crane wanted to portray, and he works very well in that context.

Something that I feel makes The Red Badge of Courage rather unusual is the way it almost never seems to romanticize anything. The battles are shown as gritty, frightening, and fueled by primitive emotion. Interestingly, even though the perspective is that of a Union soldier, the enemy Confederate soldiers are never actually villainized. The few glimpses we get of them portray them as real people, experiencing the same emotions as the Union soldiers do. Much of the story, aside from Henry's own thoughts, is told in a fairly neutral tone. There isn't really even any reference to the politics behind the war and what each side is fighting for. Maybe that's partly why I find this story so strange but interesting; because it removes the political motivations of each side and just shows us two groups of ordinary people essentially in the same terrifying situation.

Also, the short story at the end("The Veteran") is really sort of an epilogue showing us a glimpse of Henry in his later years. It has a rather sad ending, and I don't think it would hold up well on its own, but it's interesting to read as an accompaniment to the actual novel.

[Michaela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I find it very hard to rate a book as only one star, this book was an exception. I do not simply dislike 'the classics.' I just couldn't get in to this particular novel. It took me from May to August to finish, and it is not even 200 pages long! This book follows Henry Fleming, a young man from the northern United States on his journey to manhood, which just so happens to also be through bloody battles of the Civil War. Henry, referred to mainly as 'the youth', signs up for the army because he is seeking adventure. During his first battle, Henry flees the line of fire, then becomes lost among other regiments of the Union army. Feeling a bit ashamed, yet trying to justify himself, Henry tries to find his own regiment. He is injured by a man from his own side, and uses the bloody gash on his head (his red badge of courage) as an excuse for his disappearance during the skirmish. Henry eventually becomes a much better fighter, and bears the flag as the Union achieves victory. Later, Henry tells his tale as it truly was, but is thought courageous by his townsmen anyway. He shows his final bit of courage trying to save his colts from his flame engulfed barn, but dies in the attempt. I can check this book off my college bound reading list, but I'm not sure that reading it was really worth the time and effort.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the main character through his psychological angst regarding how he would react to conflict on the battlefield to his actual reactions and how his mind coped with these reactions was really interesting. I felt that Crane, despite having never been in battle himself, did an incredible job of portraying some very human characteristics. The worry about whether he would be a coward or actually be a hero; the shame and paranoia of running away; the quick re-painting of events in his mind and his derision toward others; "proving" himself in war (which seemed to really be more of a caged animal/emotional overload reaction than rational, well disciplined heroism)...all these were very believable and well-written.

[Angie Palau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in high school and only remembered a general "feeling" of lots of darkness, fear, and a red glow in a Civil War Setting. Having now re-read it, I still feel it that way. It's beautifully written, and it's very vivid. It provides a brief glimpse into the experience of a very young Union Soldier in the Civil War, who initially flees in terror from battle, then reclaims his courage and forges on.

It's technically an excellent book, and I understand why it is a classic because it transports you someplace you would never otherwise go. But it is a dark and somber place, and I didn't feel happy to have gone there nor improved by the experience. Just pained. But not all literature entertains you gently and takes you to a happy place. Just like life.