Birss Exhibit Opening Reception

The 20th Annual John Howard  Birss, Jr. Memorial Program celebrates the 125th anniversary of the publication of Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage with an opening reception for the library exhibition.

Please join us on Thursday, February 6 at 4:30 PM in the lobby on the first floor of the University Library to view the exhibition, guided by Birss student fellows, Jillian Damiani and Emma Phipps, along with remarks from the curator, Professor Christine Fagan.

Stephen Crane’s classic novel is known for its early modernist portrayal of the Civil War, and its psychological perspectives on the mythmaking of heroism and cowardice. Still, in many respects, The Red Badge of Courage goes beyond history, suggesting relevance over a century later, by speaking to issues of our day, specifically, a country that is visibly divided along ideological lines, which, for many, seem irreconcilable. In revisiting The Red Badge of Courage, one can’t help but be prompted to ask, “Is our country broken?”