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Read Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets: And Other Tales Of New York (2000)

Maggie: a Girl of the Streets: and Other Tales of New York (2000)

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3.59 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0140437975 (ISBN13: 9780140437973)
Language
English
Publisher
penguin classics

Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets: And Other Tales Of New York (2000) - Plot & Excerpts

I've known Stephen Crane was a sterling, profound writer, and I've read The Red Badge of Courage twice. However, this is the first time I've explored the gold encasing that crown jewel in Crane's short but curiously prolific literary career. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a first-rate story: It's crisp and unexpected, hilarious and human, and its chapter-length vignettes bring to vivid life exactly the scenes of poverty and complex negotiations of personal morality and responsibility that Jacob A. Riis had dealt with far more drily in How the Other Half Lives. What perplexes other reviewers, I think, is the humor in Crane's denunciations of the double-standard to which women (and their virtue) are held; if you read all the character's thoughts as the author's own (which is rarely the case in any book), of course you'll mistake Crane for the vilest of chauvinists. George's Mother, a novella you don't hear much about, and a few of the other stories collected here tell parallel stories about Maggie's tenement community. Of the shorter works, my favorite is "The Men in the Storm" (1894), a story whose protagonist is the nameless mob of poor men who throng the doors of a charity house in the bitter cold of a snowy winter afternoon. The whole collection is essential reading: Five stars.

Picked this up in a second-hand bookstore and thought I would give it a try. Glad I did. It is spectacular. Beautifaul language that really sets the tone, though dreary, of turn-of-the-century America. Many people complain about the dialogue which takes some effort to get through as it is the genuine article, the language of the day which is an Irish/New York slang of the period. The works in this book all have a moralistic tone that does not always travel well with us today. Plus the reader has to make some leaps of faith regarding the fate of characters because the subject matter was taboo for the time. Crane is sometimes writing in code. However, it is his writing that is unbelievable. So beautiful and original. It really paints a picture and that's why I highly recommend this book.

What do You think about Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets: And Other Tales Of New York (2000)?

I bought this book on my birthday. And started reading it on Halloween. Unfortunately, it remained in my bag or shelf untouched for a couple of months. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets has a gritty depiction of life in a growing New York City in the late 1890's. Along with Maggie, there are some Tales of New York. The tales of "The Broken Down Van", "An Experiment in Misery", "An Experiment in Luxury" and "The Adventures of a Novelist" somehow didn't make any sense to me and the rest did. I didn't read "George's Mother" because of two reasons. First, it's a long time and I need to move on to other books. Second, it's going to be another Maggie. What made me to stay on and read of what's left is the realism and the colorful tales of New York City before it became the city we know today.
—Joshua Emil

One thing a reader would instantly see in Crane's works is the vividness of his prose. Maggie is, without doubt, one of the most intensely animated writings I have ever read, classic or modern. The setting is so overpoweringly real and natural that reading just the first three chapters easily transported me into a place so poor and deprived that my heart just went out for Maggie and Jimmie as if they were real children. What is missing in the narrative, however, is the depth of characterization. It is not clear how Maggie, and Jimmie, has been affected psychologically and emotionally by her environment. Is she really a "bad" child/person? What are her motives for running away? Is she really in love with Pete? Maggie is definitely overwhelmed by Pete's "magnificence", but her actions and thoughts barely go beyond this impression. What are her greatest fears? Her dream? These are missing. Nothing is also said about how she actually meets her fate at the end of the story. In the process, the story didn't read complete. I actually felt disappointed when I reached the last chapter.
—Shari

[Maggie, a Girl of the Streets; An Experiment in Misery; When a Man Falls a Crowd Gathers]I loved Crane's writing. His eloquence juxtaposed perfectly against the vernacular of the late 19th century New York City slums. He captured the daily life of the the people, many immigrants, and gave the reader a deeper look into the lives and thoughts of the lower/working class during the turn of the century. The stories themselves were not fantastic and I mean that in the sense of plot because these stories were told in a tone of realism and naturalism, unconcerned with embellishing or excitement. Really, Crane's writing is what kept my attention throughout his short stories. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in a true depiction of American life in turn of the century New York and one of the first examples of a writing style that sough to truly capture the American-immigrant experience.
—Lauren Mcclusick

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