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The Red Badge of Courage Audiobook
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(2.78) - 18 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Henry Fleming is primed to prove his patriotism and to earn that “red badge of courage.”
Bored with farm life, and anxious for some excitement, Henry Fleming sets off to join the Union troops fighting the Civil War. An inexperienced fighter, he is anxious to get into battle to prove his worth. He swaggers to keep up his spirits waiting for battle, but when suddenly thrust into the slaughter, he is overcome with blind fear and runs from the field of battle.
He is ashamed when he joins the wounded, for he has not earned their "red badge of courage" and becomes enraged when he witnesses the death of his terribly maimed friend. In a confused struggle with his own army’s retreating soldiers, he is wounded but not by enemy gunfire. In an effort to redeem himself in his own eyes, he begins to fight frantically and, in the heat of battle, automatically seizes the regiment’s colors in a daring charge that proves him truly courageous.
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""He had been where there was red of blood and black of passion, and he was escaped." The book still evokes a visceral feel for the terror, confusion, and arbitrariness of the battlefield. "
— Tony (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“There was no real literature of our Civil War...until Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage.”
— Ernest Hemingway -
“One should be forever slow in charging an author with genius, but it must be confessed that The Red Badge of Courage is open to the suspicion of having greater power and originality that can be girdled by the name of talent.”
— New York Press -
“Anthony Heald does a superb job performing Stephen Crane’s 1895 book, which has been called the first modern novel about war. The novel tells the story of Henry Fleming, but at times scenes employ a montage of brief comments by fellow soldiers to suggest the feelings of the infantry as a whole. Heald is especially good at rendering these snippets and interjections without a loss of clarity. His energetic pacing and varied intonations bring out the drama and the immediacy of battle. Such an approach remains true to the realism of the book. People who have relegated this novel to the tenth grade should experience Heald's reading. He brings Crane to life.”
— AudioFile -
“Crane’s realistic recounting of a young man’s first experience with war is a storyteller’s dream and Heald’s fully voiced presentation is without peer. His crusty voice has the twang of a Midwestern farm boy and rises and falls with the appropriate emotion of the scene. Listeners will visualize the battlefield, hear the popping of rifles, and smell the smoke of the cannons...Listeners will enjoy the action of this classic American war story, and are likely to delve more deeply into the story and explore the reasons for Henry’s feelings and even make some personal comparisons. With the conflicts in the world today, some listeners may be placed in situations similar to Henry’s. This audiobook belongs in every school, public, and personal library.”
— Kliatt
The Red Badge of Courage Listener Reviews
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" Listened to this on a road trip to Missouri. I'd forgotten how descriptive it is. Definitely liked reading it years ago better than listening to it. "
— Kathi, 5/17/2011 -
" There's nothing I can say about this that hasn't been said. The story is just kind of awkwardly put together and the symbolism is too bold. Not my favorite. "
— Allegra, 5/13/2011 -
" I read this back in highschool and I might appreciate it more now, but I remember hating it at the time and hating the main character. However, I think that might have been because it messed with my idealism. So now that I'm more of a realist maybe I should read it again and appreciate it more. "
— Angillham, 5/10/2011 -
" This was an awesome book about the Civil War and its affect on one young man and how he grew up as a soldier. "
— Dj, 5/10/2011 -
" I know it's a classic, but it was hard to follow. "
— Michele, 5/9/2011 -
" Required reading for Civil War or American History buffs. "
— Horton, 5/8/2011 -
" I voted for this book at didn't mean too...oops<br/>This was one of those books I HAD to read in high-school...hated it it... Sorry Mr. Crane...but maybe if I read it again I might like it.... "
— Rebecca, 5/6/2011 -
" This was only just ok (probably more a 2.5). I understand that it was trying to give a young persons real experience of war but i just didn't empathise with the young lad and didn't buy into the atmosphere it was trying to generate. I would not recommend. <br/> "
— Andy, 5/2/2011
About Stephen Crane
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) was an American novelist, poet, and journalist. He worked as a reporter of slum life in New York and a highly paid war correspondent for newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. He wrote many works of fiction, poems, and accounts of war, all well received but none as acclaimed as his 1895 Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Today he is considered one of the most innovative American writers of the 1890s and one of the founders of literary realism.
About Roger Dressler
Roger Dressler is an actor, known for The Groundstar Conspiracy. He has narrated several audiobooks, including The Call of the WIld by Jack London and Ignition by Kevin J. Anderson.