reading Stephen Crane becomes a real torture for me

I just finished reading Maggie, a Girl of the Street, and I wondered why I didin't feel sad at all when it was a truely sad story itself. The author presented the story to us with a tone of unconcern, indifference, and calmness, as if he were a God, who settled everything beforehand. I think he considered nature as being extremely ugly, and human fate as forever doomed. It is a harrowing way to look into nature and life, in my opinion. I tend to view literature as a form of art, that deals with something enchanting, and works of Stephen Crane become the most distorted pieces of art I've ever come across, if they are still considered art at all.

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Originally Posted by virginiawang

I just finished reading Maggie, a Girl of the Street, and I wondered why I didin't feel sad at all when it was a truely sad story itself. The author presented the story to us with a tone of unconcern, indifference, and calmness, as if he were a God, who settled everything beforehand. I think he considered nature as being extremely ugly, and human fate as forever doomed. It is a harrowing way to look into nature and life, in my opinion. I tend to view literature as a form of art, that deals with something enchanting, and works of Stephen Crane become the most distorted pieces of art I've ever come across, if they are still considered art at all.

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Stephen Crane's works were written in the form of Naturalism and Impressionism. This may be why you felt that he was unconcerned with his characters and had a pessimistic view on the world.

Personally I love anything written in this style!

I read The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, but I have difficulty in understanding it. I don't know what the author wants to convey.

Stephen Crane is one of my favorite authors. That is cool that you don't like him though. There are lots of writers that I don't like.