The Red Badge of courage is pretty impressive. Ellison says its an allegory and I'm inclined to agree. But even if it isn't, it is quite an effective piece of writing that and it's shocking that Crane was born after the Civil War. I never would have guessed that had I not already known it. "The Open Boat" I read a few years ago and really liked. "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is amusing but it's sort of slight. I think "The Monster" is the greatest thing of his I've read, even if it's more conventional. It is prescient and still rings true to this day, not as much with the race stuff as with the medical issues surrounding whether or not someone who is horribly injured or near-terminal should be kept alive. "The Blue Hotel" I read a few years ago and enjoyed.
