红色英勇勋章的写作手法.docx

红色英勇勋章的写作手法.docx

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红色英勇勋章的写作手法

Oneofthemostenduringmemoriesofmyliterarylifeisthesensationproducedbytheappearancein1895ofCrane’sRedBadgeofCourageinasmallvolumebelongingtoMr.Heinemann’s“PioneerSeriesofModernFiction”—verymodernfictionofthattime,anduponthewholenotdevoidofmerit.Ihaveanideatheserieswasmeanttogiveusshocks,andasfarasmyrecollectiongoestherewere,touseatermmadefamiliartoallbyanotherwar,no“duds”inthatsmallandlivelybombardment.ButCrane’sworkdetonatedonthemilddinofthatattackonourliterarysensibilitieswiththeimpactandforceofatwelve-inchshellchargedwithaveryhighexplosive.Unexpecteditfellamongstus;anditsfallwasfollowedbyagreatoutcry.[1]

JosephConrad

Introduction

Asanovelist,poet,short-storywriter,journalist,andwarcorrespondent,StephenCranewillberememberedforhismasterpieceTheRedBadgeofCourage.Itwasfirstpublishedin1895inbookformafterhisfirstbookMaggie,AGirloftheStreets.Beforethat,TheRedBadgeofCouragehadappearedinanewspaperinashorterversion.Onitspublication,thenovelimmediatelybecameanAmericanclassicandbroughttheauthorinternationalfame.Itwasanovelofgreatinfluenceatthattime.Publishedintheautumnof1895,ithadgonethroughtwoeditionsbeforetheendoftheyear.ByMarchof1896thenovelwasintheeighthplaceontheinternationalbooksellers’listandhadgonethroughfourteenprintings.H.L.Menckenoncecommentedonthebooklikethis:

“IamoldenoughtoremembertheblastthatTheRedBadgeofCouragemadein1895.ItwasanepisodenotmatchedinAmericanletters,beforeorsince.”[2]“Histheme,indeed,isanoldone,butoldthemesre-handledanewinthelightofnovelexperiencearethestuffoutofwhichmasterpiecesaremade,andinTheRedBadgeofCourageMr.Cranehavesurelycontrivedamasterpiece.”[3]GeorgeWyndhamaccountedinthiswayinNewReview,1898,inhis“ARemarkableBook”.ItisconsideredbymanyliterarycriticstobeoneofthegreatestofallAmericannovels.Ratherthanploddingthroughmoraltropes,thebookissubtleandimagistic.Crane’srichportrayaloftheprotagonistHenryFleming’sgrowththroughthetrialsandterrorsofaCivilWarbattlebetraysthefactthathehimselfhadnotyetseenanyfightingorbattleswhenhewrotethebook.ManyveteransoftheCivilWar（onlythirtyyearshadgonebysinceitsend）praisedthebookforcapturingthefeelingsandpicturesofactualcombat.AfterhisexperienceasawarcorrespondentintheGreco-TurkishWar,“‘TheRedBadgeisallright’,hesaidwhenhecameoutofit.”[4]Theplotofthenovelisdeceptivelysimple,consistingofaseriesofepisodesduringtwodayswhenayoungCivilWarrecruitHenryFlemingfightshisfirstbattle—episodesrangingfromtediumtoterror,afterwhichheischangedforever,andfromflighttocourage.HenryFlemingisanordinaryandinexperiencedsoldier.Hebeginswiththestateofmindoftherecruitwhoisanxioustogetintobattlesothathemayshowhispatriotismandprovehimselfahero.Hetriestokeepuphisspiritsduringthedelaythatprecedeshissuddenlybeingthrustintotheslaughter.Thenheisovercomebyunthinkingfearandrunsfromthebattle.Heisashamedwhenhejoinsthewounded,forhehasnotearnedthe“redbadgeofcourage”.Andhebecomesenragedwhenhewitnessesthehorriddeathofhisterriblymaimedfriend,JimConklin.Later,bychance,hegetsaminorheadwoundinaconfusedstrugglewithoneoftheretreatinginfantrymenofhisownarmy.Thenextday,whenhispretensionisacceptedthatthewoundistheresultofenemygunfire,hebeginstostrugglefrantically,andthenautomaticallyseizestheregiment’scolorsinthechargethatreestablishesitsreputation.Hemovesthroughthissultrynightmarewithunconsciousheroism,andemergessteady,quiet,andtrulycourageous.Asfaraswarnovelisconcerned,mostwritersinCrane’stimesconsideredwarassacredandglorious,andsoldiersascourageousandheroic,theygettingwellalongwitheachotherandbeingreadytoencourageeachotherandtoofferaidtothewounded.ButCranewriteshisnovelinamuchdifferentway—fromthepointofviewofacommonrecruit.Theprotagonistofthestoryisarecruitfromthecountryside,knowingnothingaboutwarexceptfortheromanticillusionslearntfrombooks.Whenheisinthebattlehimself,hefindsadifferentworld.ThenovelconcentratesontheheroHenry’spsychologicalprogressfrompuerilitytothefinalmaturity,exploringhisemotionsinthetwo-daybattleanddealingwithhisstrugglewithhisinnerdemons.Itrevealsthefullhorrorofwar,andthecomplexityandunpredictabilityofhumanbehaviorinthecrucibleofbattle.JosephConradthinkshighlyofthenovel,oncewriting,inhisarticle“HisWarBook”,that…becauseofthemarvelousaccordofthevividimpressionisticdescriptionofactiononthatwoodlandbattlefield,andtheimaginedstyleoftheanalysisoftheemotionsintheinwardmoralstrugglegoingoninthebreastofoneindividual—theYoungSoldierofthebook,theprotagonistofthemonodramapresentedtousinaneffortlesssuccessionofgraphicandcoloredphrases.[5]AndSydneyBrookswroteinhisreviewofthenovelthat“…Mr.Crane’sextraordinarybookwillappealstronglytotheinsatiabledesire,latentordeveloped,toknowthepsychologyofwar—howthesightsandsounds,theterribledetailsofthedramaofbattle,affectthesensesandthesoulofman.”[6]WhatsinglesoutthenovelasagreatsuccessistheuseofImpressionistictechniquesinit.Thenarrativemethodemployedinthenovelisthelimitedthird-personnarration.Cranebeginsthestorywiththenarrationoftheexternalworldbytheomniscientnarrator,butassoonastheheroHenryisintroduced,thecenterofintelligencebecomeshis.Thereadergetsverylittleoutsideofhissensoryawareness,andcannotsupersedehisepistemologicallevelandthusreceivesfragmentalandpotentiallyunreliableinformationthatisoftendistortedandambiguous.Astothispoint,SergioPerosahasthefollowingcomments:

TheRedBadgeofCourageisindeedatriumphofimpressionisticvisionandimpressionistictechnique.Onlyafewepisodesaredescribedfromtheoutside;Fleming’smindisseldomanalyzedinanobjective,omniscientway;veryfewincidentsareextensivelytold.PracticallyeverysceneisfilteredthroughFleming’spointofviewandseenthroughhiseyes.Everythingisrelatedtohisvision,tohissense-perceptionofincidentsanddetails,tohissense-reactionsratherthantohispsychologicalimpulses,tohisconfusedsensationsandindividualimpressions.Realityexistsandcanbeartisticallyrecreatedinthatitaffectshiseyes,hisears,histouch—hissensory,ratherthanmental,imagination.…[7]Sincerealityislargelysensory,theempiricalnatureofexperienceisrenderedinimages,andtheimagesthatformulatesensationsarethebasicunitofnarration.Man’sapprehensionprocessisshapednotonlybyhissurroundings,buthisimaginationaswell—animaginationfilledwithdistortedimagesgeneratedbythememory,wrenchedbyfear,capableofconcretizingemotionintoimageandinsertingitintowhatisseen.Animagemaybevisual,tactile,auditory,orgustatory.Thereareplentifulimagesinthenovel,suchascolorimages,animalimages,appellationimages,etc.Thesedisconnectedimagesbecomecomponentsofpsychologicalrevelationoftheprotagonist.Throughtheuseoftheseimages,Henry’ssubtleandcomplicatedemotionsareexpressed,forexample,hisfear,uncertainty,confusion,innocence,shame,anxiety,andsoon.Thenovelisalsofilledwithironies.TheyarealwayswithHenry’sgrowth,immaturity,innocence,anddistortedself-view.Theironyof“theredbadgeofcourage”isthatitisinitiallygainedwhileHenryistechnicallyadeserterandcowardbutthatitgrowstobecometheemblemofrealheroism.Likethedressingforhiswound,Henryisaproductofbothcowardiceandheroism,andonetriumphanthumanaspectofthebookisthatHenry,whileahero,canbehumbledbytherecollectionofhisguilt.Inhisescapefromthebattle,Henrygetshisredbadgefromaretreatingsoldierofhisarmy.Fulloftheimplicationsofguilt,lying,andshame,theredbadgeremainsanironicalsymbolofcourage,aremindertoHenryandthereaderofthecostofheroismaswellasthehumilitythatmusttemperprideofachievement.ThispaperaimstoinvestigateCrane’swritingtechniquesinTheRedBadgeofCourage.ChapterOneconcentratesonthedescriptionofthehero’spsychologicalactivities.ChapterTwofocusesontheImpressionistictechniques.Theemploymentoflimitedthird-personnarrationandallkindsofimageswellpresentsthecharacter’ssenseofrealityundergreatfearandstress.Thenarrativeperspectiverevealstheprotagonist’sepistemologicalprocess,disclosinghowheperceivestherealityandregainsindividualconsciousnessatagiventimeandplace.Thoseimagesinvolvingcolors,animalsandappellationsoccurwiththegreatestfrequency,producingavarietyofeffectsonsignificantthematicconcerns.Theimagerysuggestsnotonlythehero’sresponsestotherealityandhissensoryexperiencebutalsothewayrealityisperceivedandunderstood.Throughthem,theauthorcreatesafragmentalbutcompleteworld,arichlysatisfyingaestheticwhole.ChapterThreeismainlyabouttheuseofironyinthenovel.

ChapterOne

PsychologicalDescriptioninTheRedBadgeofCourage

ToseeTheRedBadgeofCourageinacomprehensiveway,itisnecessarytodiscusshowtheotherwriterslivinginthesameepochviewedtheCivilWar.Inthenovelsandessaysproducedin1880s,nearlyeverywriteravo