The Red Badge of Courage was written in 1895 by Stephen Crane (1871-1900), it is considered by many literary critics to be one of the greatest of all American novels. This is a book about the Civil War, and one Union soldier's struggle with his inner demons as he prepares for, and fights his first battle. The story Crane tells is deceptively simple, it reveals, better than any other novel I've read, the full horror of …showed first 75 words of 797 total…

…showed last 75 words of 797 total…rationalizations, and how those emotions and attitudes drove his behavior during battle. Henry Fleming is certainly not an admirable protagonist! (This may, in fact, have been the first Civil War novel which depicts the central character in less than an idealistic, "knightly" fashion.) He is immature, vain, shallow, and mendacious throughout the book, but is also imbued with an inner strength and the self-discipline which allow him ultimately to triumph over his many character flaws.