Stephen Crane

An item at American Writers Museum

Stephen Crane dropped out of college to pen stories of New York street life. His novels and short stories frequently explore the psychology of characters trapped by external forces. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893) tells the story of a young woman driven into prostitution by poverty, family dysfunction, and sexism.

His Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage (1895), earned Crane international fame. Although he never served in the military, Crane portrays the horror of battle with astonishing realism and emotional sensitivity, particularly in describing the torment of Henry Fleming, a deserter desperate to be perceived as brave.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum