The Red Badge of Courage (Annotated Keynote Classics)

by Stephen Crane, Michelle M White (Noted by)

Overview

Thrown into a "trial-by-fire" as a new recruit in the American Civil War, can young Henry live up to his notions of courage, honor, and duty? This stream-of-consciousness narrative follows his dramatic psychological rationalizations as he struggles to make sense of his experience through the fog of war. Powerful imagery brings the battlefield to life and highlights the disconnect between the generals' orders and the deadly chaos on the ground. Stephen Crane's vividly descriptive narrative brings the reader deep into the intensity of the battlefield and explores the psychological effects of warfare on a youthful soldier. One of the most influential war novels ever written, this unabridged original version of The Red Badge of Courage was an instant best-seller when it was published in 1895. 

Keynote Classics™ Feature an Introductory Key, explanatory footnotes, and wide margins for note-taking to help readers get more from their reading experience, and remember, discuss, or write more confidently about classic literature. They begin with an Introductory Key to the work with hints about what to look for to find deeper meaning. Unlike other literature study guides, they contain no spoilers and don't specify themes, motifs, and symbols found in the novel. Instead, they point out general ideas and things to pay attention to that help you find your own interpretations. Footnotes help foster understanding, and historical context about the author and the prevailing culture provides important perspective. Questions are provided at the end to help inspire discussion or essay topics. Teachers recommend that you read actively and engage with the text to help you draw on your own knowledge and experience to get more out of a novel. Keynote Classics™ paperbacks provide more space in the margins for writing down thoughts, connections, and interpretations as you read.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850. Suffering from chronic lung disease, he traveled the world in search of health and happiness, finally settling with his wife and family in the south seas island of Samoa. In addition to this book, he is noted for the adventure novel, Treasure Island, the poetry collection, A Child's Garden of Verses, and numerous essays, short stories, and travel books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949611113
Publisher:	Keynote Classics
Publication date:	08/19/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	168
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Stephen Crane wrote this novel with no first-hand familiarity with war, but it was praised by Civil War veterans as an authentic depiction of their battlefield experiences and emotions. Crane was interested in war stories and enjoyed creative writing as a child. He began his professional career as a journalist at the age of 16, and later became a war correspondent in the Greco-Turkish conflict and the Spanish American War in Cuba. Other important works include the novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets; short stories "The Open Boat," "The Monster," and "The Blue Hotel"; and poems "The Black Riders" and "War is Kind." Stephen Crane died of Tuberculosis at the age of 29.
Michelle has always loved reading classic novels and history books while raising her kids and working as a book designer. When her youngest son finished homeschool and started college, she too went back to school and earned her degree in History and English, focusing on nineteenth century culture and literature. She put her passion for books and history to work in her dream job by publishing Annotated Keynote Classics. Her favorite part is researching the authors and their times in history, putting it into context with their work, and discovering the clues that will help readers and students to get more enjoyment from the books. Michelle lives in South Florida with her husband, son, and their dog and cat. In addition to reading, she enjoys beach time, travel, and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more about Michelle and her work at www.keynoteclassics.com.

Table of Contents

Introductory Key to The Red Badge of Courage

The Red Badge of Courage

Topics for Discussion or Essays

Major Works of Stephen Crane

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

What I found particularly appealing about this book were the annotations written by Michelle M. White. The information she provides gave me a better reading experience. Highly recommended.

This was a great annotated book.

This is the story of a young soldier who goes off to fight for the Union. He has no political thoughts but feels the anguish of his mother as he leaves, and enjoys the attention of local ladies and fellow men. He endures hardship and is desperately afraid of being a coward. He eventually "sees the elephant" in battle and wants no more of that. He runs from his first battle but is a hero in the second. He was obviously in the McClellan campaigns although no definite identification is given. Henry is the innocent, young man going to war for the first time for all ages. The author was born after the American Civil War, but grew up with veterans of that war. Many veterans read his book and felt it was so realistic, he must have been there! Many swore they even met the author in battle, although that was impossible. This is a great read for all times.

From the Publisher