- Mass Market Paperback: 250 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group; Reissue edition (30 Nov 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553213555
- ISBN-13: 978-0553213553
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 1.3 x 17.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,954,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Not yet famous for his Civil War masterpiece, The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane was unable to find a publisher for his brilliant Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, finally printing it himself in 1893.
Condemned and misunderstood during Crane’s lifetime, this starkly realistic story of a pretty child of the Bowery has since been recognized as a landmark work in American fiction.
Now Crane’s great short novel of life in turn-of-the-century New York is published in its original form, along with four of Crane’s best short stories–The Blue Hotel, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, The Monster, and The Open Boat–stories of such remarkable power and clarity that they stand among the finest short stories ever written by an American.
Condemned and misunderstood during Crane’s lifetime, this starkly realistic story of a pretty child of the Bowery has since been recognized as a landmark work in American fiction.
Now Crane’s great short novel of life in turn-of-the-century New York is published in its original form, along with four of Crane’s best short stories–The Blue Hotel, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, The Monster, and The Open Boat–stories of such remarkable power and clarity that they stand among the finest short stories ever written by an American.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The main theme in this bundle of masterful short stories, highlights of American naturalism, is `brotherhood', or the absence of it.
In `The Open Boat', `the subtle brotherhood of men was here established on the seas. Each man felt it warm him.'
In `Maggie', there is no brotherhood. Home is a `regular living hell.'
In `The Monster', one man opposes the euthanasia of a heavy burned Afro-American (`he saved my boy's life), thereby defying public opinion, the force of the street (`everybody says it.')
In `The Bride comes to Yellow Sky', the protagonist brings his `foreign' (from another city) bride home. He fears the hostile reaction of his fellow citizens. But, the notion of marriage (a form of brotherhood) convinces a wild gunner not to shoot him.
In `The Blue Hotel', a heavy drinking madman provokes fiercely the guest of a hotel.
Brotherhood is the only means to fight Fate: `Fate should be deprived of the management of men's future. The whole affair is absurd.' (The Open Boat).
Or, `one viewed the existence of man as a marvel, a glamour of wonder to these lice which were caused to cling to a whirling, fire-smote, ice-locked, disease-stricken, space-lost bulb.' (The Blue Hotel)
And, `when it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him', there is the strength of brotherhood to vanquish the forces of nature. (The Open Boat)
The main characters in this book are the interpreters of this strong message: `the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt they could then be interpreters.' (The Open Boat).
These forceful short stories are a must read for all lovers of world literature.
In `The Open Boat', `the subtle brotherhood of men was here established on the seas. Each man felt it warm him.'
In `Maggie', there is no brotherhood. Home is a `regular living hell.'
In `The Monster', one man opposes the euthanasia of a heavy burned Afro-American (`he saved my boy's life), thereby defying public opinion, the force of the street (`everybody says it.')
In `The Bride comes to Yellow Sky', the protagonist brings his `foreign' (from another city) bride home. He fears the hostile reaction of his fellow citizens. But, the notion of marriage (a form of brotherhood) convinces a wild gunner not to shoot him.
In `The Blue Hotel', a heavy drinking madman provokes fiercely the guest of a hotel.
Brotherhood is the only means to fight Fate: `Fate should be deprived of the management of men's future. The whole affair is absurd.' (The Open Boat).
Or, `one viewed the existence of man as a marvel, a glamour of wonder to these lice which were caused to cling to a whirling, fire-smote, ice-locked, disease-stricken, space-lost bulb.' (The Blue Hotel)
And, `when it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him', there is the strength of brotherhood to vanquish the forces of nature. (The Open Boat)
The main characters in this book are the interpreters of this strong message: `the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men on shore, and they felt they could then be interpreters.' (The Open Boat).
These forceful short stories are a must read for all lovers of world literature.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Maggie: Beaten From The Start
29 Aug 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback
For those who read the full title of MAGGIE: A GIRL OF THE STREETS, it is forgivable if they assume that Stephen Crane's novel is a sensationalistic tale of a fallen woman. Sensational it may be in parts, but it is far closer to the flood of naturalism that was dominating American literature in 1893. Naturalistic writing was marked by a belief that human beings were at the mercy of a brute and unfeeling nature that rigged the deck against anyone who dared to attempt to rise above his station. The usual result was the crushing defeat or death of that person. Crane had done extensive reading of European authors who led the way with their own naturalistic writings. In MAGGIE, Crane wrote of a good girl who wanted no more than to find the right guy to love, but everyone in her environment, even her own family, worked in tandem not only to stop her from achieving her goal but to demolish her in the process.
Maggie lives in the slum section of New York. Her dreams to better her life are much more modest than the heroines of any novel by Edith Wharton. Lily Bart of Wharton's HOUSE OF MIRTH was poor like Maggie but Lily sought to mingle with money and to marry into it. Maggie's dream was no more than to find love, and when her brother brought home his friend Pete, she thought she found it. Pete was handsome and what today we would call a "player." He dates Maggie for a while, raising her hopes of marriage, but after living with her, he tires of her and dumps her. Maggie's family is outraged, not so much at Pete for being a cad, which he certainly was, but at her for violating the Puritanical rules that forbad such a relation. Her family itself was not a paragon of virtue. Her mother and father drank heavily and alternately abused or ignored Maggie and her brother, who himself had impregnated several women and then dodged them when they showed up at Maggie's apartment demanding that he own up to his responsibilities. Maggie's sin, such as it is, pales into insignificance by comparison. Her family will not accept her back so she is left to wander the streets as a prostitute. The ending is predictable; Maggie jumps into the East River and drowns. In the literary world of naturalism, Crane had to create a hostile universe and people it with uncaring characters whose only function was to show that this universe truly was a hideous place to live. Once readers finish the novel, they are often stunned with the imbalance in the scales of cosmic justice, suggesting that Crane's vision of a brute nature may never go completely out of fashion.
Maggie lives in the slum section of New York. Her dreams to better her life are much more modest than the heroines of any novel by Edith Wharton. Lily Bart of Wharton's HOUSE OF MIRTH was poor like Maggie but Lily sought to mingle with money and to marry into it. Maggie's dream was no more than to find love, and when her brother brought home his friend Pete, she thought she found it. Pete was handsome and what today we would call a "player." He dates Maggie for a while, raising her hopes of marriage, but after living with her, he tires of her and dumps her. Maggie's family is outraged, not so much at Pete for being a cad, which he certainly was, but at her for violating the Puritanical rules that forbad such a relation. Her family itself was not a paragon of virtue. Her mother and father drank heavily and alternately abused or ignored Maggie and her brother, who himself had impregnated several women and then dodged them when they showed up at Maggie's apartment demanding that he own up to his responsibilities. Maggie's sin, such as it is, pales into insignificance by comparison. Her family will not accept her back so she is left to wander the streets as a prostitute. The ending is predictable; Maggie jumps into the East River and drowns. In the literary world of naturalism, Crane had to create a hostile universe and people it with uncaring characters whose only function was to show that this universe truly was a hideous place to live. Once readers finish the novel, they are often stunned with the imbalance in the scales of cosmic justice, suggesting that Crane's vision of a brute nature may never go completely out of fashion.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Heads up...this version is not the complete story
16 Sep 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Just to let folks know--this version has passages that have been altered, shortened, or entirely removed from the original, and the ending is considerably changed. If you want Crane's work as it was originally published--and the ending that is both heartbreakingly bleak and visually evocative of her descent into the depths, definately buy another version. I recommend the Penguin Classics edition.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
What could have been?
6 Aug 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Let me first state that I do not own this specific edition of Maggie, and that I am only reviewing the actual story of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. I wasn't going to review this book since it is not the one that I own; however, after reading a previous review I decided that I had to review it.
First, this book is pretty much about what everyone said it is about. It is about a family living in the slums of turn-of-the-century New York. The protagonist of the book is a young girl named Maggie, whom is full of dreams and aspirations, unlike her loser relatives. Her main dream is to meet a good man and fall in love with him and start a family, to live happily ever after. However, the fellow that she chooses to fall in love with is a loser whom ends up leaving Maggie. Her family, not yet satisfied with all the harm that they caused Maggie during her childhood, disowns Maggie and drives her to her doom. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say that it doesn't end well for Maggie. It is extremely sad and disappointing to realize what Maggie could've been so much more. She was a beautiful and moral girl. Instead, she ends in tragedy.
Now, the previous reviewer stated that this book cannot be a classic because it is too short. I wasn't aware that there is a length requirements for classics. Also, the outdated slang and cussing is outdated because the story takes place in turn-of-the-century New York. I personally felt that this slang added greatly to the feel of the story.
You, the reader, should be the judge on the quality of this novel. Do not let poor reviews detract you from picking it up and giving it a good read. I am confident that if you focus on what Maggie could have been, it will make it easier for you to enjoy the story.
First, this book is pretty much about what everyone said it is about. It is about a family living in the slums of turn-of-the-century New York. The protagonist of the book is a young girl named Maggie, whom is full of dreams and aspirations, unlike her loser relatives. Her main dream is to meet a good man and fall in love with him and start a family, to live happily ever after. However, the fellow that she chooses to fall in love with is a loser whom ends up leaving Maggie. Her family, not yet satisfied with all the harm that they caused Maggie during her childhood, disowns Maggie and drives her to her doom. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say that it doesn't end well for Maggie. It is extremely sad and disappointing to realize what Maggie could've been so much more. She was a beautiful and moral girl. Instead, she ends in tragedy.
Now, the previous reviewer stated that this book cannot be a classic because it is too short. I wasn't aware that there is a length requirements for classics. Also, the outdated slang and cussing is outdated because the story takes place in turn-of-the-century New York. I personally felt that this slang added greatly to the feel of the story.
You, the reader, should be the judge on the quality of this novel. Do not let poor reviews detract you from picking it up and giving it a good read. I am confident that if you focus on what Maggie could have been, it will make it easier for you to enjoy the story.
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