Stephen Crane
The Monster and Other Stories
language
( May 30, 2019)
The Monster is an 1898 novella by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). The story takes place in the small, fictional town of Whilomville, New York. An African-American coachman named Henry Johnson, who is employed by the town's physician, Dr. Trescott, becomes horribly disfigured after he saves Trescott's son from a fire. When Henry is branded a "monster" by the town's residents, Trescott vows to shelter and care for him, resulting in his family's exclusion from the community. The novella reflects upon the 19th-century social divide and ethnic tensions in America.
The fictional town of Whilomville, which is used in 14 other Crane stories, was based on Port Jervis, New York, where Crane lived with his family for a few years during his youth. It is thought that he took inspiration from several local men who were similarly disfigured, although modern critics have made numerous connections between the story and the 1892 lynching in Port Jervis of an African-American man named Robert Lewis. A study of prejudice, fear, and isolation in a rather small town, the novella was first published in Harper's Magazine in August 1898. A year later, it was included in The Monster and Other Stories—the last collection of Crane's work to be published during his lifetime.
Written in a more exact and less dramatic style than two of his previous major works (Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage), The Monster differs from the other Whilomville stories in its scope and length. Its themes include the paradoxical study of monstrosity and deformity, as well as race and tolerance. While the novella and collection received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, The Monster is now considered one of Crane's best works.
The fictional town of Whilomville, which is used in 14 other Crane stories, was based on Port Jervis, New York, where Crane lived with his family for a few years during his youth. It is thought that he took inspiration from several local men who were similarly disfigured, although modern critics have made numerous connections between the story and the 1892 lynching in Port Jervis of an African-American man named Robert Lewis. A study of prejudice, fear, and isolation in a rather small town, the novella was first published in Harper's Magazine in August 1898. A year later, it was included in The Monster and Other Stories—the last collection of Crane's work to be published during his lifetime.
Written in a more exact and less dramatic style than two of his previous major works (Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and The Red Badge of Courage), The Monster differs from the other Whilomville stories in its scope and length. Its themes include the paradoxical study of monstrosity and deformity, as well as race and tolerance. While the novella and collection received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, The Monster is now considered one of Crane's best works.
Enjoy reading The Monster and Other Stories? You may also like these books
-
V
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage Graphic Novel
Paperback (Saddleback Educational Publishing Jan. 1, 2007) -
V
Stephen Crane
The Third Violet
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Feb. 21, 2016) -
V
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War
eBook (First Avenue Editions TM Aug. 1, 2014) -
V
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform July 22, 2016) -
V
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge Of Courage Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition
School & Library Binding (Turtleback Books ) -
V
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage - An Episode of the American Civil War
Paperback (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Jan. 9, 2016)
