Crane produced many novels, short stories, poems, sketches, and letters during his twenty-nine years of life.
Novels
1893. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (A Story of New York) (by Johnston Smith, a pseudonym used by Crane; republished in 1896 under Crane’s name) focuses on social problems and environmental factors which ultimately ruin the life of the main character, Maggie Johnson.
1895. The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War deals with the emotional growth of Henry Fleming from youth to soldier.
1896. George’s Mother concerns the interrelationships of several characters, including George Kelcey, who aligns himself with a group of losers who engage in a series of questionable behaviors.
1897. The Third Violet is the story of the romantic relationship between Billie Hawker and Miss Grace Fanhall and the recognition by Hawker that love can develop if it is given time.
1899. Active Service: A Novel, written by Crane primarily to make money, outlines the character of Rufus Coleman, a war correspondent, who saves a professor and his family embroiled in a war, falls in love with the daughter of the professor, rejects the advances of another woman, and brings the family home from the war.
1903. The O’Ruddy: A Romance (completed by Robert Barr after Crane’s death), observes the behaviors of a main character, O’Ruddy, a man who has little respect for the customs of British culture.
Short Stories
1896. “The Little Regiment and Other Episodes of the American Civil War” looks at the apprehensions and other behaviors of characters in war (Colvert 94).
1898. The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure. “The Open Boat” is a short story that deals with four characters who escape in a lifeboat from their sinking ship. The story addresses the theme of survival and is based on Crane’s real-life experience with the sinking of the ship Commodore.
1899. The Monster and Other Stories. “The Monster” addresses themes of compassion and fear.
1900. Whilomville Stories (published after Crane’s death) is a collection of short stories associated with Crane’s life while he was living in several New Jersey cities and in Port Jervis, New York.
1900. Wounds in the Rain: War Stories: is a collection of short stories that focuses on Crane’s Cuban war experiences.
Poetry
1895. The Black Riders and Other Lines is a collection of poems that follow a free verse form and address various content issues, including separation and customs.
1899. War Is Kind includes poems with a form and content similar to those in The Black Riders.
Other Works
1901. Great Battles of the World, which was published after Crane’s death, focuses on significant worldwide battles.
1902. Last Words, also published after Crane’s death, looks at some of Crane’s earlier writings.
