Transcript The Red Badge of Courage

Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane
1871-1900
The Red Badge of Courage
is one of the first modern
American novels.
 Crane was born the youngest
of 14 kids in 1871 in Newark,
New Jersey
 He was an introspective,
rebellious young man who
thirsted for adventure in spite
of frequent illnesses
 Though he died at the age of
28 (TB), Crane left behind
novels, stories, and poems
that secured his place in the
history of American literature
 The events in this
famous novel took
place during the
American Civil War,
probably at the
Battle of
Chancellorsville,
which was fought in
May, 1863.
The Battle of Chancellorsville,
which is in northern Virginia
 The Civil War formally began on April 12, 1861
 President Lincoln issued a call for volunteers to defend
the Union and abolish slavery
 Each day, newspapers throughout the North and
South were filled with the exciting details of the
battles
 Union and Confederate forces were unprepared for a
long war; the armies were poorly trained, and
discipline was weak
 About one million men were wounded, and more than
500,000 died, either from battle wounds or disease
Prevailing Social Concept
 During the 1860’s, conventional beliefs held
that a young man’s character was best tested
in war. The battlefield demanded
patriotism, bravery, obedience, and faith.
 Crane explored the theme of character
development as a result of war experiences,
but he treated the theme critically, using the
methods of realism and naturalism.
Naturalism – a literary movement …
 Naturalistic authors were influenced by the
evolution theory of Charles Darwin;
 To use detailed realism to suggest that social
conditions, heredity, and environment had
inescapable force in shaping human
character;
 To replicate a believable everyday reality, as
opposed to Romanticism or Surrealism, in
which subjects may be highly symbolic,
idealistic, even supernatural.
Realism
&
Naturalism
 Naturalism is the outgrowth of realism.
 Whereas realism seeks only to describe
subjects as they really are, naturalism also
attempts to determine "scientifically" the
underlying forces influencing the actions of its
subjects.
 Literary naturalists reject the notion of free will
and see humans as controlled primarily by
instinct, emotion, and (occasionally) cultural
conditions.
Crane’s Application
 to depict reality as it was
 to present an authentic personal vision of the world.
The Red Badge of Courage combines observant
reporting of details with the revelation
of the forces at work within and around the
novel’s protagonist, Henry Fleming.
Objectives
Interpretation into details
Images
Theme
Writing Feature
Q&A
 What does the red badge of courage refer to?
 Who is narrating the story? Who is the
protagonist? Which type of POV does the novel
fall into?
 What is mainly being depicted in chapter 24?
(A charge, retreat, or something else?)
 What sense of feeling towards war revealed in
this part?
 What is the protagonist’s action in this part?
Q&A
 What does “this vision of cruelty brooded
over him” most probably refer to? (P 189)
 “He” found that … his “earlier gospels”,
…that he now despised them.
 He now despised his early eager pursuit of
glory and fame. (P 108)T/F
 This is a happy ending story because the
protagonist’s regiment won at last. T/F
Images
 Red badge of courage
 Scars faded as flowers
 Weather
 Color
 Animal
animal of beast
domestic poultry
Theme
 Coming of age of young soldier Henry Fleming
 Former gospel (blind irrational belief)
 Anxiety and escapade from bloody battle
 Renewed conception towards fear,
bravery, brotherhood, patriotism,
and glory.
Writing Style
 Amalgamation of realism and naturalism
 Application of impressionism
 Of featured language
 Unrestrained poetic expressions of protagonist
 In respect of characters’ dialogue, Crane utilized the
1860’s Civil War vernacular; almost all written in slang
format.
 Crane was a realist in his
determination to write honestly
about life as he saw it
 Crane saw nature as indifferent to
human beings and viewed
individuals as a mixture of good
and bad qualities
 Crane used details that illustrate
the senselessness and brutality of
war, the horror of death, and
human weaknesses such as false
pride and selfishness
 Crane did not glorify heroism in
battle
Impressionism
 A term drawn from Impressionism painting.
 As for literary impressionism, it is a genre very
similar to psychological realism, presenting
things as they seem or they are sensed, not as
they actually appear.
 In the Red Badge of Courage, we are given
accurate portrayals of Henry’s thoughts and
inner conflict, which is ultimately more
important to the story than the simple facts of
the battle depiction.
Claude Monet (Water Lilies)
The painting is
not about what
the water lilies
look like, rather
it’s about what
the painter feels
when he looks at
them. The
painter’s mood
comes through
the viewer via the
painting work.
Assignment
 Earnest Hemingway Introduction
 Indian Camp (Page 198)