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II. Background Information
Stephen Crane is a famous American writer; one of his masterpieces is The Open Boat. In the following part, the paper will present background information of Stephen Crane and his works, and then give a brief introduction to the novel The Open Boat. In this way, the novel can be comprehensively appreciated and understood. It cannot be denied that, based on the study of background information of the novel, the paper will better explore the naturalistic elements of the novel.
2.1 The Author and His Works
As a great American novelist, Stephen Crane was prolific throughout his short life, and he wrote many notable works in the Realist tradition. His books can be regarded as examples of American Naturalism. Modern critics hold that Stephen Crane is one of the most innovative writers in American literature.
Stephen Crane’s parents are Methodist Protestant, and he was the eighth surviving child in his family. When he was 16 years old, Stephen Crane had already published several articles. Because he was not interested in college studies, Stephen Crane left school at the age of 20. Then he began to work as a writer and a reporter. Two years later, Stephen Crane’s first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, was published. Many critics said that it was the representative work of American literary Naturalism. In 1895 his another novel The Red Badge of Courage was published. The novel is about the subject of war. Without any war experiences, Stephen Crane wrote it and made it successful. Therefore, this novel gained great international fame for him.
Since he witnessed the trial of a suspected prostitute, Stephen Crane experienced unpleasant time of scandal and suffered a lot. And then he decided to travel to Cuba and wanted to be a reporter there. On the way to Cuba, he met a madam Cora Taylor and loved her. Then Stephen Crane sailed his way and unfortunately, his ship sank off the coast of Florida. He had to drift for several days with his friends. Based on this experience, Stephen Crane wrote his famous work The Open Boat. When he was in his senior years, Stephen Crane lived with Cora in England and made friends with such great writers as H. G. Wells and Joseph Conrad. When he was 28 years old, he was in great financial difficulties and got some illnesses. He died of tuberculosis. After his death, he was almost forgotten by people for many years. 20 years later, his works got the revival and many readers appreciated his works with great eagerness. Crane is famous for his writing style of vivid intensity, distinctive dialects, and irony. He usually dealt with the themes of mental and spiritual crises as well as social problems. Although people have known Stephen Crane by his works The Red Badge of Courage and The Open Boat, Crane actually is also excellent in writing poetry, journalism, and short stories. In all, he is the great American novelist and the representative writer of naturalism.