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    The Red Badge of Courage
    The Red Badge of Courage
    The Red Badge of Courage
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Red Badge of Courage

    Written by Stephen Crane

    Narrated by Frank Muller

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    At the time he wrote The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane had never witnessed a battle. Crane's older brother fought in the Battle of Chancellorsville, however, and Crane listened carefully to his brother's reminiscences. The result is the classic Civil War novel, and one of the greatest stories of all time. Henry Fleming was always playing soldier at home on the farm. Now, on the battlefield, shells burst in front of him like strange flowers, gunfire rips toward him in great crackling sheets of flame, and all around him, blue-coated figures lie still on the blood-drenched grass. The Battle of Chancellorsville has begun. Stephen Crane's most famous work stands alone as the testimony of a young man compelled to mature during a bloody Civil War battle.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 31, 2014
    ISBN9781449802844
    Author

    Stephen Crane

    Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1871. He died in Germany on June 5, 1900.

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    Reviews for The Red Badge of Courage

    3/5

    37 ratings32 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Crane, Stephen: The Red Badge of CourageI'm not sure how I managed to miss reading this for so many years because it is one of the most well known American classics about the Civil War. It was never a reading assignment for me in school for which I am now glad because I'm sure I enjoyed it more as an adult than I would have as a student.This is an "interior" novel that emphasizes the thoughts and emotions of a young, idealistic boy who enlists in the Union army against his mother's advice and prayers. He goes off with ideas of the glory of battle after reading such classic accounts of war for which the ancient Greeks were renowned. He quickly learns that the reality is nothing like the ideal of the classic wars. Crane does a good job of giving us the ups and downs of the daily life of a foot soldier and excellent descriptions of battles. However, the focus of the novel is Henry Fielding's (often referred to merely as "the youth") adolescent perceptions and reactions to the daily grind of the soldier and to his concerns about how he appears to the other soldiers. This is a coming of age novel that takes place in the hellish conditions of armed conflict. It deserves its classic designation but if it is assigned to students it should be read and discussed in small doses. There is essentially no plot to keep a young person's interest but it could make a great discussion book about dealing with the ups and downs of adolescent emotions.While reading this book I also started reading a book of Walt Whitman's Complete Poems. I know he had written poems about the Civil War so I looked up some of them. After reading this very realistic novel most of them seemed to me to be a too romanticized look at the war. However, one of them captured well the feel of a scene described by Crane early in the book. I know Crane never witnessed anything of the civil War; I wonder if Whitman did.CALVALRY CROSSING A FORDA line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands,They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun-hark to the musical clank,Behold the silvery river, in it the splashing horses loiteringstop to drink,Behold the brown-faced men, each group, each person apicture, the negligent rest on the saddles,Some emerge on the opposite bank, others are just enteringthe ford-while,Scarlet and blue and snowy white,The guidon flags flutter gaily in the wind.(Walt Whitman)
    • 3/5
      Of all the novels I was forced to read as a junior high/high school student, this stand out as my favorite. I am not a fan of this type of literature, but was drawn in by Crane's story of a Civil War soldier and the emotional and psychological tole the war took on him.
    • 1/5
      The Red Badge of Courage is the tale of the initial cowardice and later courage of a Union soldier in the Civil War. The young soldier grows up and learns to deal with his feelings about the war.I had heard so much about this book but was terribly disappointed. I had a very difficult time getting through this "saga". Just a another CLASSIC that didn't grab me. Don't know what the fuss was all about.
    • 4/5
      One of my all time favorite books!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. I think it is a book that youth will read and think they understand, but only years later with the experience of knowing how fickle our emotions are and how often how the world is treating us greatly sways how we see the world, will the irony of the main character's journey come out.Henry Fleming has grand visions of being a hero and determines he will serve in the Union Army, against his mother's wishes. He is young and immortal so he doesn't see any reason for his mother to be sad. And her practical advice about clothes and food are also inappropriate, taking away his chance to make grande pronouncements about his great deeds.His first experience with war is the boredom of waiting. Eventually rumor of battle comes and he begins to wonder if maybe he'll run away in battle. He worries about it but knows that only time will tell. What follows are battles and feelings of invincibility, fear, agony, comradeship with the others in his regiment, guilt. anger at the officers, anger at Nature, anger at the enemy, a little anger at himself, and satisfaction in a job well done.My edition had an introduction and Afterward by Joe Haldeman that were very interesting and helpful, but also short so they didn't take away from enjoying the story itself.
    • 1/5
      I love Crane's use for metaphors in this book, because they completely make sense with war and everything that's going on.
    • 5/5
      Henry Fleming finds that he, like so many others, becomes a coward when first faced with the gruesome rigors of the battlefield. He redeems himself--in reckless and hate-filled fashion--while Crane depicts to a point of historically accurate perfection, the confusions that led to Union defeat in the Battle of Chancellorsville.
    • 1/5
      Painful to read. I know it's a classic. I know it is historically relevant. I still think it sucks.
    • 4/5
      Not as exciting or as emotionally relevant as I thought it would be, but immensely enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      Somehow over the years I had missed reading this classic. It is well-done, and the dialogue is especially well-done. My only criticism is that the transition from battle-to-non-battle and back, and from chapter-to-chapter often lacked a certain expected continuity.
    • 3/5
      Story of valor and fear experienced by civil war combatants. How the personal fortunes and perceptions of the participants change so quickly during the tumultuous conflicts into which the characters are thrown.
    • 5/5
      It is a great classic if you like stories about courage in battle.
    • 4/5
      A searing tale of fear and courage, set during the Civil War, but more powerful today than ever. A young man enlists in the Union Army, but nervously wonders how he will react to the blood, violence, and death of a real battle. When that terrible day arrives, he flees the fighting in terror. But his cowardly behavior gnaws at his conscience, and he searches for redemption for what he has done.
    • 3/5
      Such an exciting and informative book.
    • 3/5
      Almost impossible to tell who is speaking, thinking, etc. Had to re-read many passages to attribute it to an individual. I kept reading because it is a "classic" and in theory it would get good. I was disappointed. Good thing it was a "short" classic. Why IS this a classic?
    • 4/5
      This was a good book but a little hard to read. I noticed that the author used the same words a lot such as crimson while describing things but I really enjoyed the book. My mom suggested this book and told me that she had read it when she was in high school as a mandatory read so I figured I should check it out since it is a classic of sorts. It was a short book and a fast read but I do think that I have a better understanding of what warfare was like on the front lines of the Civil War. I think that I will be reading more books from the civil war era.
    • 4/5
      This was another classic I read to help out my twelve year old daughter for school. Somehow I missed it in my youth which is just as well because I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it then anyway.The story is about Henry Fleming, a spoiled young man who enlists in the Union Army against his mothers advice. Henry doesn't know what to expect in war. For a long time his unit is left idling, waiting to engage the enemy. When they are finally called to battle it is not anything like Henry expected. Although he tries to fight he decides it would be suicide to stay and runs. He is so convinced that they will all be needlessly slaughtered that he is determined to alert the field commander that he is making a mistake. By the time he reaches the officer he finds out that the men in his unit who have stayed to fight have indeed won the battle. Henry feels ashamed of himself when he sees the men with their bloody injuries, their "red badges of courage." Not so ashamed though that he does not accept the bedroll and care offered to him by a fellow soldier who mistakenly thinks that Henry was injured in battle but in reality his head wound was obtained while running away. Henry examines himself and his actions and determines to be more courageous the next time he meets the enemy. In the ensuing battle Henry grabs up the flag and leads his unit after it is dropped by the injured flag bearer. By taking charge Henry metaphorically makes the transition from a boy to a man.Although the author never served in a regiment his portrayal of war is very realistic. As I read I could clearly picture the bullets whizzing past the heads of the men as they fought. Another searing image that will stay with me is the dead soldier in the woods. At the time this was written, the war was being portrayed as being glorious by people such as Frederick Douglas. Crane's depiction offered a much more realistic view of the horrors of war. Stephen Crane used literary devices such as simile, personification, alliteration, and imagery to paint a vivid picture of what it would have been like to be on the battlefield. The text needs to be read slowly in order to get the full picture of the words. My twelve year old daughter was bored to tears by this book and I am sure that many children who are assigned this novel fail to appreciate it. Part of the problem may be that the protagonist is a very unlikeable person. Even when he is having his moment of glory, he is doing so by wresting the flag away from another soldier who is also reaching for it. Henry's characters flaws aside, I still found the book fascinating. I have always enjoyed learning about the Civil War and having visited several battlefields I could clearly picture the events as they were unfolding in the book. I don't think a generation raised on Harry Potter and Hunger Games will find a lot to enjoy in this novel but I did like the soldiers perspective of war that this book gave.
    • 3/5
      This book has been considered a classic, but I never considered reading it until this year: I am trying to read many of those classics that I neglected during my childhood.The story is told through the perspective of 'the youth', aka 'Henry'. He is a raw recruit in the Union Army, during the American Civil War, actual year is not mentioned. Henry dreams of glory until his first real battle. He survives, but has conflicting emotions, which continue to haunt him until the next battle.I did have some difficulty with this book, especially concentrating during occasional musings by Henry. However, I did get a better sense of what the young soldiers must have experienced.I'm glad I finally read it, but am unsure of a reread in the future.
    • 4/5
      About a young union soldier who ran from battle during the civil war. This book taught me the importance of forgiving yourself and others.
    • 2/5
      This book didn't really grab me. It was just ok.
    • 3/5
      Henry Fleming is a young Union soldier of the 304th Regiment from New York, fighting his first battle in Virginia, when he becomes frightened and flees. As he runs, he observes many other areas of the battle and witnesses many of the horrors of war. He becomes injured when another Union soldier hits him over the head with his gun. Embarrassed and injured, he returns to his regiment late that night, where his friend takes care of him. The next day they fight in a major battle, the Battle of Chancellorsville, where he and his friend redeem themselves with their courage and hard fighting.
    • 2/5
      Could this guy be any more annoying? He runs away, he comes back, runs away, comes back. Make up your mind. I know this is supposed to be a classic, but there really are better "classics" out there.
    • 3/5
      Red Badge of Courage is a descriptive narration of one youth's first battle experience during the Civil War. This book deals with a dark time in American History and the writer treats it as such. The detail is stark, bleak and Crane doesn't sugar coat anything. I'm not disappointed that I finally picked this up and read it. It is a very short novel and doesn't take much of a time commitment to read. I did however find it dragging in parts and it took me a while to get into it. Henry, the youth, of the novel is a fairly simple individual who is shown the ugly face of war and his reactions to his first experiences are what the book is about. All in all, this is a good book, but nowhere near great. I'm not a big fan of Crane's style in his storytelling, however he does paint a vivid picture and the reader gets a clear idea of what it may have been like to be an unwitting youth going into battle for the first time with little training or warning of what to expect.
    • 3/5
      I found it very hard to keep my attention focused on it, and half the time I honestly had no idea what was going on. But, since I really wasn't interested, I never could take the time to go back and find the context.I can kind of see why this book has become such a classic, but I have to say that it's just not for me.
    • 5/5
      Stephen Crane first published Red Badge in a local Philadelphia magazine when he was 23 years old. It is a short work because Crane found other popular realists like Zola ("Germinal") and Toltstoy to be tiresome, saying of "War and Peace" - "He could have done the whole business in one third the time and made it just as wonderful". He even criticized his own "Red Badge of Courage" as being too long. Crane was a rebel and non-conformist, essentially without any formal education, he disliked anything that was considered popular.Crane was aiming for photographic documentation, but the work is also richly symbolic, with a series of episodic scenes juxtaposed like a French impressionist painting forming contrasts. Thus he is able to capture the ironic and contradictory nature of war, swinging from elation to fear, pride to humbleness, love to anger .. time and geography are lost, what is right becomes wrong and what is wrong becomes right. The book has no real plot, and is morally ambiguous, one leaves it feeling a bit disheveled wondering exactly what happened, but with certain scenes forever etched in your memory. Probably one of the best artistic representations of the experience of combat.
    • 1/5
      Since I didn't remember reading this book as a kid, I thought I'd read it when my daughter had to read it for summer reading. The Red Badge was typical of the classics written in the 1800's. Florid, flowery language, certainly a book of great impact for the time it was written. That said though, as a reader, I mean....as a person who really loves the written word, and wants nothing more than to see kids grow up with that same love, it seems to me to be almost counter intuitive to teach a novel like this to a group of 13 year olds. Its a difficult book to read, archaic language, obscure phraseology, yet with themes that are pertinent today. I guess I feel that its important to appreciate classic literature, but on a very basic level it feels more important to me to foster a love of reading. I'm not sure that a book such as this will encourage kids to read. I don't know that a 13 year old can appreciate this book and will simply write it off as a boring dusty old book that a teacher crammed down his/her throat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that Junior High kids should be reading only Teen People, Star, XMen and the like, but I think the books we direct them to should be more engaging.
    • 1/5
      This is among the very worst books I've ever read! I absolutely hated it! In my eighth grade journal (we read it in eighth grade), I nicknamed it The Red Book of Boredom. It was simply atrociously awful, and it went on and on and on. I remember no merits or saving graces in this one. To be kept in mind- I like most books in general, even books I don't especially LIKE, I feel friendly towards and am generally amicable towards. This book sucked.
    • 4/5
      To say that Red Badge of Courage is about a young man in combat during the Civil War sells the story short. Henry is a young man facing many things for the first time in his life and throughout battle he struggles with all of it. It's a historical snapshot of the psychology of war. It goes beyond whether Henry can be brave or not. Whether he is a true soldier or not.
    • 4/5
      The Red Badge of Courage is an American Civil War story masterfully written by a guy who never had an war experience. I regrettably felt a lot of connection to the protagonist. I also noticed familiar themes of incompetence in military leadership. Unsettling to think that little has changed in common observations made by enlisted men of their officers. This, too, was an unabridged audiobook expertly read by one of the most gutturally pleasant voices I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
    • 3/5
      Another book that I no doubt should have read as a child, but never got to (not being American). Very fast read. I finished the entire thing in about an hour. While it is a classic study of the horrors gripping a young soldier on his first trip to the battlefield and influential in its time, the book didn't really grab me. This is probably due to the use of theme as plot in a fairly short novel so I never really became attached to Henry.