Book Description
Born into a family of writers, Stephen Crane wrote his first poem, "I'd Rather Have - " at the age of eight, and his first short story around the age of 13, "Uncle Jake and the Bell-Handle." Despite never having completed a course of study at any of the colleges he attended, Crane decided in spring of 1891 to pursue a career as a writer. While working as a journalist, he penned Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, a novella written in the Naturalist style that depicted the seaminess of urban tenement life. Enduring his own poverty and taking temporary reporting jobs, he completed his literary masterpiece, The Red Badge of Courage, a dramatic depiction of a soldier's inner life during the American Civil War, in April 1894. The author, who continued to write both journalistic pieces and short stories until his death in June 1900, is one of the most highly regarded and popularly taught American authors today. Stephen Crane pursued his writing career during a time when the literary world was moving from Romanticism to Realism and Naturalism, and later in his life, Impressionism and Modernism. Sorrentino examines each of Crane's works, identifying the influence of these literary movements, and world events, on his novels, short stories, and poetry, including: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, New York City Stories and Sketches, The Red Badge of Courage, War Stories, Western Stories, and Tales of Whilomville. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Biography blends with a critical view of Crane's works
Paul M. Sorrentino's STUDENT COMPANION TO STEPHEN CRANEprovides an excellent blend of biography and critical review of Stephen Crane's works. Crane was a poet, a journalist, and a novelist whose masterpiece RED BADGE OF COURAGEis assigned reading to this day. Discussions revolve around his early and later works and provide important analysis by the founder of the Stephen Crane Society and its journal. ... Read more

Book Description
The publication of The Red Badge of Courage in 1895 brought Stephen Crane instant fame at age 23. At 28, he was dead. In the brief span of his literary career, Crane enjoyed a significant measure of renown as well as notoriety, but his reputation rested almost entirely upon his war novel, and he felt that his talent had ultimately been misjudged. From his adolescence until his death, Crane was a professional journalist. To this day, most educated American readers know him only as the author of the most realistic Civil War novel ever written, three or four action-packed short stories, and a handful of iconoclastic free-verse poems. Crane was befriended and admired by some of the most important literary figures of his time, such as William Dean Howells, Willa Cather, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and H. G. Wells. He has also been called a realist, a naturalist, an impressionist, a symbolist, and an existentialist. This reference book provides a more complete picture of Crane's short but furiously creative life and encourages a more extensive appreciation of his works. The volume includes hundreds of entries for members of Crane's immediate and extended family; close friends and associates; educational institutions that he attended; places where he resided; publishers and syndicates by whom he was employed; literary movements with which he is usually associated; and the works of fiction, poetry, and journalism that he wrote. Thus the book shows that he was a pioneer in the development of a number of genres in modern American fiction and poetry; that he was the first literary chronicler of the burgeoning slums of urban America who refused to sentimentalize his materials; that his Western stories reveal the steady retreat of the American frontier before the encroachments of a modern Europeanized civilization; and that his short stories and poems engage a number of enduring themes. Many of the entries cite works for further reading, and the volume includes a chronology and a bibliography of the most important studies of his life and writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A wonderful reference source for Crane
Some of the reviews on this site are really loony! They seem to be written by one person, over and over again. A Stephen Crane Encyclopedia is the most accurate, clearly written, and informative reference guides on Crane one could buy. It is also probably the very best of the encyclopedias of American authors.

Makes Stephen Crane Boring!
This is a WAY over-priced book that makes Crane a really boring person, which I doubt he was. If you really need to read this book do NOT buy it. Get it from the library and drink coffee. I found numerous errors in this book because the author disregards all the other biographies about Crane and makes up his own material.

Excellent resource.
This is an excellent resource--concise, informative, and authoritative.Those who complain about its lack of originality have totally missed the point: it's an encyclopedia, and it is supposed to bring together the interpretations of many critics and to supply information about Crane's works and his life so that the reader can then go and do further research.

Loony Reviews
Many of the reviews of A Stephen Crane Encyclopedia on this site seem to be personal attacks, as the author suggests. One review claims that the author's opinions are in "left field," and another insists that, on the contrary, he simply summarizes the work of others. Wertheim is a leading Stephen Crane scholar, and to a great extent his opinions ARE the field. On the other hand, author encyclopedias do attempt to synthesize prevailing critical stances, and this encyclopedia does this admirably. it is succinct, well-written, and authoritative. A must for serious students of Stephen Crane.

Disappointing
I waited the 4 weeks it took to get this book and I cannot express how poorly written it is. There are many good books on Crane, but this one is defintely to be avoided. The author is supposed to be a Crane expert but he cannot explain anything clearly. In fact, he seems angry about having to write this book for a living. Avoid this one. ... Read more

Book Description
When Maggie was published, society was unprepared for its grim and stark tale of a pretty young girl's fall in New York's Bowery, and its criticism of the irresponsibility of men toward women. Stephen Crane also exhibits his stunning genius in the five other stories of this collection, from the local color of small-town life to the bustle of the city to war stories full of the irony of heroism. The six make up an enduring testimony to one of America's finest writers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a GREAT book for young and old alike
The Red Badge of Courage, an action-adventure book by Stephen Crane, is a great for young and old alike. Henry Fleming is a young boy out to seek adventure in the Civil War. Henry wants to be a war hero like in Homer's epic poems. Soon he starts to find out that war isn't just fun and games. He follows other troops onto the battlefield. Then he gets into a big battle. He starts to realize that there is more to battles than shooting, there is the fear of death and that he needs bravery and courage. A great African once said "Courage isn't the absence of fear but the triumph over it."

This book is good for all readers ages 8-150 years old. There is some mild violence but that is it. It will capture younger kids with the action-packed battles of Henry Fleming. It will capture the older peoples hearts with its thrilling story line on how he starts to become a man through hardships of leaving home and battles on the front line. ... Read more

Book Description
Stephen Crane's impressionistic renderings of a vast and indifferent universe populated by moments of beauty and uncertainty reflect the ethos of his era. This volume includes and introduction by Professor Harold Bloom, an extensive biography of Stephen Crane, and a critical analysis of his work, including classics like The Red Badge of Courage, "The Blue Hotel," and "The Open Boat."

Bloom's BioCritiques is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School; the preeminent literary critic of our time. This series presents lengthy and engaging biographies that explore the lives of the world's greatest writers. Each book also includes an original critical analysis detailing the important themes, symbols, and ideas that appear in the writer's body of work, as well as additional essays that represent some of the best criticism available on the writer and his or her work. These volumes are the perfect introduction to critical study of the important authors currently read and discussed in high schools, colleges, and graduate schools. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Must read for anybody interested in history of journalism
Robertson is a really excellent writer, and his frame for discussion is compelling reading. As the issues that face the media today continue to be complicated ones, this book provided me with a valuable look at the intersection between journalism and fiction in the late 19th century. I found the "fact/fiction discourse" that Robertson discusses to be a robust concept and still relevant. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive volume of Crane's work includes the first published editions of The Red Badge of Courage and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, both of which were considerably toned down in subsequent editions for a genteel 1890s reading public. This volume also presents his short fiction, as well as a wealth of supplementary material, including historical and cultural contexts, essays on urban life and reform in the late 19th century (to accompany Maggie), Civil War backgrounds (to accompany The Red Badge of Courage), and Spanish-American War backgrounds (to accompany Crane's short writings on the subject).