The Red Badge of Courage

Name: The Red Badge of Courage
Author: Stephen Crane

The Red Badge of Courage is a classic novel by Stephen Crane, published in 1895. It tells the story of Henry Fleming, a young Union soldier in the American Civil War. Henry is filled with fear and doubt as he awaits his first battle. He is determined to prove his courage, but when the battle begins, he runs away in terror. He is ashamed of his cowardice and ashamed of the “red badge of courage” that he believes marks him as a coward. Henry eventually finds the courage to return to the battlefield and fight bravely. He is wounded in the leg and is taken to a field hospital. There, he meets a veteran soldier who helps him to understand the true meaning of courage. Henry returns to his regiment and is welcomed as a hero. He has learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to face fear and do what is right.

By Stephen Crane · First published 1895 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Realism, Adventure · 24 chapters · 46,485 words

First lines

The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting. As the landscape changed from brown to green, the army awakened, and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors. It cast its eyes upon the roads, which were growing from long troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares. A river, amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army's feet; and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of distant hills.

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The Red Badge of Courage is listed on Textopian as a novel by Stephen Crane, dated 1895 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Stephen Crane
Date: 1895 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Realism, Adventure, Romance, War
Length: 46,485 words
Structure: 24 chapters, 1,479 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Historical Fiction — The Red Badge of Courage is set during the American Civil War and follows the story of a young soldier's journey through the war, making it a historical fiction novel.
Realism — The Red Badge of Courage is a realistic novel that focuses on the psychological effects of war on the protagonist, Henry Fleming, making it a realism novel.
Adventure — The Red Badge of Courage follows Henry Fleming's journey through the war, making it an adventure novel.
Romance — The Red Badge of Courage contains a romantic subplot between Henry Fleming and a young woman, making it a romance novel.