How does "The Red Badge of Courage" differ from the usual approach to Civil war fiction?

Question

I'm not actually sure what "the usual approach" is. Does anyone know and would you be willing to give me a couple of hints? Also I can only think of Gone with the Wind and Red Badge for Civil War fiction, so would someone be able to help me out with that too?

Answer 1

The usual for 18th and 19th century literature was to glorify war, and dying for ones country. We still in these days hear serve God and Country, gave his life for God and Country, and such. The Red Badge of Courage didn't glorify war.
I remember a famous English writer who infuriated Queen Victoria by writing that it was not the job of a soldier to give his life for his country, but for him to let the enemy give his life for his country.
Most modern day soldiers do not see much glory in dying for their country, although in the Eastern culture, there apparently still is some personal glory in dying for God (Jihad).
The Red Badge of Courage was a turning point in popular literature on this subject. The issue persists, I remember in 1951, MGM studios would not tolerate the production of an antiwar film, McCarthyism was rampant, McCarthyism was a rampant movement of patiotrism gone astray. It still persists today; in my personal war, Jane Fonda (Hanoi Jane) was seen as the enemy, and is still seen in that light by many.
I suspect glorification of war and dying for the flag will be around for many centuries. The last refuge for a scoundrel is Religion and Patriotism, and scoundrels will be with us until the end times.
The Red Badge is good reading, Stephen Crane was a master writer. I wish I could make a point as strongly as he did.

Answer 2

For a long, long time, people thought and wrote about "the glory of war" and other such things. There may be others, but from what I've read, Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage and Wilfred Owen's collection of poetry were among the first literary writings that expressed the opposite -- that war and fighting and dying for one's country is not glorious at all, but is painful, messy, sad, and very disturbing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Crane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Owen

And if you haven't been watching Ken Burns' documentary on WWII, simply called The War, then you should check http://www.pbs.org/thewar (check the schedules) to see if it'll be replayed where you live. You'll find all the same emotions expressed by soldiers, sailors, flyers, and many others that are in Crane's work.

Answer 3

Here are links to a couple of Owen's poems:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthem_for_Doomed_Youth

http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_Et_Decorum_Est