Summary
Noted as being the first novel to present a realistic view of combat, The Red Badge of Courage questions the cost of war in the face of individual human choice, raising issues of manhood, self-preservation, and respect for human life. Despite having no prior combat experience to draw on, Stephen Crane produced a gripping tale of the American Civil War as seen through the eyes of its young protagonist, soldier Henry Fleming. To this day, The Red Badge of Courage remains a stylistic achievement as well as a penetrating look into the heart and mind of a soldier. This new edition of critical essays examines Crane's work and features an introduction from literary scholar Harold Bloom, a chronology of Crane's life, a bibliography of his works, and an index for quick reference.
Specifications
Chronology. Bibliography. Index.
About the Author(s)
Harold Bloom is Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University. Educated at Cornell and Yale universities, he is the author of 30 books, including Shelley's Mythmaking (1959), The Visionary Company (1961), Blake's Apocalypse (1963), Yeats (1970), A Map of Misreading (1975), Kabbalah and Criticism (1975), Agon: Toward a Theory of Revisionism (1982), The American Religion (1992), The Western Canon (1994), Omens of Millennium: The Gnosis of Angels, Dreams, and Resurrection (1996), and Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998), a 1998 National Book Award finalist. The Anxiety of Influence (1973) sets forth Professor Bloom's provocative theory of the literary relationships between the great writers and their predecessors. His most recent books include How to Read and Why (2000), Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds (2002), Hamlet: Poem Unlimited (2003), Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? (2004), and Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine (2005). In addition, he is the author of hundreds of articles, reviews, and editorial introductions. In 1999, Professor Bloom received the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Criticism. He has also received the International Prize of Catalonia, the Alfonso Reyes Prize of Mexico, and the Hans Christian Andersen Bicentennial Prize of Denmark.