When it comes to American War Writing there are several important writers which come to ones mind. One writer, however, who will most probably always be among them, is Stephen Crane. Although his “[…] contribution to the canon of American literature is fairly slight in bulk: one classic short novel, three vivid stories, and two or three ironic lyrics” , he has achieved something very remarkable. “[...]
Crane, who later saw warfare in Cuba and between the Greeks and the Turks in his work as a correspondent, had experienced no fighting when he wrote The Red Badge of Courage.” “Yet anyone who has gone through warfare, from the time of the novel’s publication (1895) until now, has testified to Crane’s uncanny accuracy at the representation of battle.” The fact that Crane’s imaginative vision is so compatible with real-life experiences of people who have witnessed battle left foremost British and later on American critics in awe and quickly established his reputation as an author. Soon after its publication The Red Badge of Courage became a bestseller.
While some people merely enjoy the book as a good read, others have digged deeper into the world of Stephen Crane in order to analyse his masterpiece. Thus it comes as no surprise that there are plenty of academic essays and reviews which deal with The Red Badge of Courage. One thing that is conspicuous throughout these essays and reviews is the ongoing discussion of whether the corresponding literary movement is actually naturalism. “Stephen Crane’s admirers regularly deny he is a naturalist out of what appears to be a fear of linking him with a circle of ´bad` writers.” For a better understanding of their fear one should know that “American literary naturalism has almost always been viewed with hostility.” But there are also those who state that “Stephen Crane will always be identified with literary naturalism.”
To throw light on the matter I will discuss, in this term paper, whether the novel contains any elements of naturalism. Beforehand I will briefly touch on the origin of naturalism and its evolvement and I will highlight the difficulties in defining the term of literary naturalism.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Naturalism
2.1 The origin of naturalism
2.2 Definition of “Late Nineteenth-Century American Naturalism”
3. Elements of naturalism in The Red Badge of Courage
3.1 Lower and middle class characters
3.2 The fictional world of the commonplace and unheroic
3.3 Henry Flemming controlled by instinct, environment and chance
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine whether Stephen Crane's novel "The Red Badge of Courage" can be classified as a work of late nineteenth-century American naturalism by applying the critical framework proposed by Donald Pizer.
- The historical origin and evolution of literary naturalism in Europe and America.
- Defining the characteristics of late nineteenth-century American naturalism.
- Analysis of social class representations within the novel.
- Examination of the anti-heroic and commonplace elements of war.
- The influence of instinct, environment, and chance on the protagonist's development.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 The fictional world of the commonplace and unheroic
Analysing this point, one could easily come to the conclusion that Crane’s fictional world in The Red Badge of Courage is contrary to Pizer’s given definition. While Pizer states that the naturalist’s fictional world is that of the commonplace and unheroic, Crane’s story is about a teenager who voluntarily goes to war, because he strives for glory and heroism. One has to wonder if there is anything commonplace about going to war and whether Crane’s story contains any unheroic elements. The answer to this question lies in the difference which exists between Henry’s preconceived opinion of battle in the beginning of the book and the harsh reality he comes across later on. “Soldiers and generals do not strike heroic poses; the dead are not borne home triumphantly on their shields but fester where they have fallen […].” Crane points out that war knows no heroes. “Much of Crane’s imagery in the novel is therefore consciously and pointedly antiheroic […].”
He yelled then with fright and swung about. For a moment, in the great clamor, he was like a proverbial chicken. He lost the direction of safety. Destruction threatened him from all points.
Directly he began to speed toward the rear in great leaps. His rifle and cap were gone. His unbuttoned coat bulged in the wind. The flap of his cartridge box bobbed wildly, and his canteen, by its slender cord, swung out behind. On his face was all the terror of those things which he imagined.
By describing the fleeing Henry Flemming like in the above passage, Crane creates an image of the protagonist that clearly does not align with that of a hero. Instead of glory and heroism, the feelings of fear and doubt are palpable throughout large parts of the book. War to Crane is definitely not a huge spectacle. Hence, one can say that “[…] Crane […] is intent on revealing the commonplace nature of the seemingly exceptional.” In the case of the Red Badge of Courage it is war that Crane reduces to the commonplace. So although Crane broaches the subject of war and its atrocities, his fictional world is that of the commonplace and unheroic and therefore a naturalistic one.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces Stephen Crane as a significant author of war literature and outlines the ongoing critical debate regarding the classification of his masterpiece as a work of naturalism.
2. Naturalism: This section provides a historical overview of the origins of naturalism in Europe and America, establishing a definition based on the theories of scholars like Donald Pizer.
3. Elements of naturalism in The Red Badge of Courage: This chapter applies specific naturalistic criteria—social class, the commonplace, and the influence of instinct and environment—to the text of the novel to test its generic classification.
4. Conclusion: The final chapter synthesizes the analysis, confirming that the novel aligns with the characteristics of late nineteenth-century American naturalism despite critical controversy.
5. Bibliography: This section lists the academic sources and secondary literature utilized for the research of this paper.
Keywords
Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, American Naturalism, Literary Criticism, War Writing, Henry Flemming, Donald Pizer, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Realism, Environment, Instinct, Chance, Anti-heroic, Literary Movement, Human Struggle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental subject of this academic paper?
The paper examines Stephen Crane's novel "The Red Badge of Courage" to determine if it functions as a representative work of late nineteenth-century American naturalism.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers the origins of naturalism, the definition of the movement in the American context, and the textual evidence in Crane's novel regarding class, heroism, and the determinism of characters.
What is the central research question?
The research seeks to answer whether the novel contains specific elements of naturalism, such as the focus on the commonplace and the control of characters by environment and instinct.
Which scientific or analytical method is used?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, specifically applying the definitions and criteria established by the scholar Donald Pizer to the narrative and character development in the novel.
What is discussed in the main body of the text?
The main body focuses on identifying naturalistic traits: the representation of lower and middle-class soldiers, the anti-heroic depiction of war, and the protagonist’s lack of autonomy in the face of instinct and chance.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as American Naturalism, literary determinism, anti-heroic imagery, and the analysis of Henry Flemming as a naturalist character.
How does the author interpret Henry Flemming's "red badge of courage"?
The author argues that the wound, or the "red badge of courage," is not a result of heroic action, but rather a product of pure chance, reinforcing the naturalistic view that characters are subject to forces beyond their rational control.
Does the author consider the novel to be a realistic or naturalistic work?
The author concludes that while some critics may favor realism or impressionism, the novel is definitively a masterpiece of late nineteenth-century American naturalism based on the provided analysis.
- Quote paper
- Jan-Christoph Allermann (Author), 2006, Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" as a work of late nineteenth-century American naturalism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/73483
