Annotated Bibliography
You Say Naturalism, I Say Realism.
We often think of Crane’s “The Open Boat” as being naturalistic– hell, I even wrote my close reading based on that idea. However, some would argue that it is instead a realistic work. This is exactly the point Charles R. Metzger sets out to prove in his critical essay “Realistic Devices in Stephen Crane’s ‘The Open Boat’.” No, Metzger is not denying that Crane is a naturalist writer, rather, he explains that this does not guarantee a completely naturalist work. Metzger explores realistic style in Crane’s story including: the use of irony; the exposition that creates realistic characters; and the use of “multiple perspectives, multiple interpretations, and the commission and correction of error.”
Metzger, Charles R. ”Realistic Devices in Stephen Crane’s ‘The Open Boat’.” The Midwest Quarterly. 4.1 (1962, Oct. ) 47-54. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 70. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 47-54. Literature Resource Center. Gale. VALE - Richard Stockton College of NJ. 16 June 2008 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
id=GALE|H1420056826&v=2.1&u=richstockcol&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w>.
A Tale of Three Recollections
It’s well known that “The Open Boat” is based on a real event in Crane’s life. Author Stefanie Bates Eye explains that as a passenger on the shipwrecked Commodore, Crane was “lost at sea on a 10-foot lifeboat for 30 hours.” What’s not so well known, however, is that Crane produced three separate accounts of this single event: a piece for the New York Times, published days after the event; the short story explored within this website, “The Open Boat;” and the second short story “Flanagan and His Short Filibustering Adventure.” Eye explores what is factual about each work– reminding us of Crane’s journalistic background– and finds it’s not an easy task. Interestingly, while “Flanagan and His Short Filibustering Adventure” is also about a sinking ship, Eye explores the story’s lack of artistry and deduces it was an attempt of Crane to capitalize on his experience.
Eye, Stefanie Bates. ”Fact, Not Fiction: Questioning Our Assumptions about Crane’s ‘The Open Boat’.” Studies in Short Fiction. 35.1 (1998,Fall) 65-76. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 70. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 65-76. Literature Resource Center. Gale. VALE - Richard Stockton College of NJ. 16 June 2008 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=richstockcol>.
Music to the… Eyes?
In his critical essay “The Music in ‘The Open Boat,’” John Ditsky explores the musical qualities of Crane’s story. Ditsky– graciously assuming that the reader is already familiar with the work– does not delve into arguments regarding the its meaning or theme. Instead, he explores various elements of Crane’s writing in relation to elements of music composure. Perhaps what’s most interesting about his analyzation is that he places Crane in the boat as the correspondent. However, while critics often name the narrator as a fifth character, Ditsky sees things differently. He instead labels the narrator as Crane, only after the event, and the correspondent as crane during the event. Ditsky justifies this claim by explaining that the “past-tense narrational voice is identical with that of the correspondent– except that the voice of the narrator is able to recollect a learning process which the correspondent, as we observe him, is just beginning to endure.”
Ditsky, John. ”The Music in ‘The Open Boat’.” NDQ: North Dakota Quarterly. 56.1 (1988,Winter) 119-130. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 70. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 119-130. Literature Resource Center. Gale. VALE - Richard Stockton College of NJ. 16 June 2008 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=richstockcol>.