Active Service

by Stephen Crane

Crane, Stephen

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Novels

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, poet and journalist, best known for the novel, The Red Badge of Courage. That work introduced the reading world to Crane's striking prose, a mix of impressionism, naturalism and symbolism. He died at age 28 in Badenweiler, Baden, Germany.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that wasn't what I expected. That's the first thing I thought when I finished this book, only to be followed by that not really being true since I didn't remember having any certain expectations about the book when I started it. But I'll stick to what I said, it wasn't what I expected. It was a romance maybe, an adventure story, some of both, and a little bit silly. In this book we have Marjory Wainwrite, the daughter of Professor Wainwrite, I can't remember what he is a professor of, but he usually takes his class to Greece for the winter if that's any help. And he is considered one of the famous scholars of the generation, I don't know why. The book begins with Marjory telling her father that Rufus Coleman wants to marry her. But her father forbids her to even think of marrying the Sunday editor of the New York Eclipse. He says he will take her along to Europe that winter and keep her there until she forgets about Rufus. And now Marjory makes me think she is rather insane because this is the conversation she has when Rufus does come to see her:

Upon the appearance of Marjory he sprang up and came forward rapidly. "Dearest," he murmured, stretching out both hands. She gave him one set of fingers with chilling convention. She said something which he understood to be "Good afternoon." He started as if the woman before him had suddenly drawn a knife, "Marjory," he cried, "what is the matter?" They walked together toward a window. The girl looked at him in polite enquiry. "Why?" she said. "Do I seem strange?"
There was a moment's silence while he gazed into her eyes, eyes full of innocence and tranquility. At last she tapped her foot upon the floor in expression of mild impatience."People do not like to be asked what is the matter when there is nothing the matter. What do you mean?"
Coleman's face had gradually hardened. "Well, what is wrong?" he demanded, abruptly. "What has happened? What is it, Marjory?"
She raised her glance in a perfect reality of wonder. "What is wrong? What has happened? How absurd! Why nothing, of course." She gazed out of the window. "Look," she added, brightly, "the students are rolling somebody in a drift. Oh, the poor man!"
Coleman, now wearing a bewildered air, made some pretense of being occupied with the scene. "Yes," he said, ironically. "Very interesting, indeed."
"Oh," said Marjory, suddenly, "I forgot to tell you. Father is going to take mother and me to Greece this winter with him and the class."
Coleman replied at once. "Ah, indeed? That will be jolly."
"Yes. Won't it be charming?" "I don't doubt it," he replied. "Oh, of course," she said in a glad voice. "It will be more fun. We expect to have a fine time. There is such a nice lot of boys going. Sometimes father chooses these dreadfully studious ones. But this time he acts as if he knew precisely how to make up a party."
He reached for her hand and grasped it vise like. "Marjory," he breathed, passionately, "don't treat me so. Don't treat me - Don't make a fool of me. Tell me what you mean. Explain -"
She laughed at him. "Explain? Really, your vocabulary is getting extensive, but it is dreadfully awkward to ask people to explain when there is nothing to explain."

And so shortly after this he leaves and she rushed in to her father in tears and we hear this:

"Father," she said in a hollow voice, "he don't love me. He don't love me. He don't love me at all. You were right, father." She began to laugh.

I think she's crazy. But off they go to Greece, crazy or not. Six weeks later, Rufus does the same thing, under the cover of a vacation, he also heads to Greece. The problem with all these people running off to Greece is that there is a war in Greece. Upon arriving there he finds that the professor and his group are indeed in trouble. The professor insisted on making an expedition to Nikopolis, wherever that is, but it wasn't a good idea when there was a war about to begin, but they went anyway, and now no one can find them. About this time Rufus receives a message from the Eclipse reading:

State Department gives out bad plight of Wainwright party lost somewhere, find them. Eclipse

And so he goes. He finds a dragoman, buys three horses, hires a groom, buys all sorts of equipment and things such as tinned meats, coffee candles, medicines, and such things. And come the next morning he and his dragoman and all that other stuff are on their way to Nikopolis in search of the Wainwrights, mostly in the search for Marjory even if she is crazy. They travel by train, they travel by boat, they travel with the army. He learned that a Greek fleet was then bombarding Prevasa, and Prevasa was near Nikopolis. And Marjory was now encircled by war. They are surrounded by soldiers, artillery thunders loudly around them, they see black masses of men along green knolls. Lots of adventure, but we still have to find Marjory. See what I mean? It's an adventure story and a love story, read it to see if we ever find poor Marjory again, or if even Rufus can get out in one piece. Happy reading.

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crane sometimes implies this novel is ironic parody, but really it’s just a bad romantic adventure story.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in The Stephen Crane Megapack: 94 Classic Works by the Author of The Red Badge of Courage.

A love story about a war correspondent who falls for the daughter of a professor. This was Crane's second to last novel to write.

[Antonio Papadourakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ένα αδιάφορο ρομαντικό μυθιστόρημα, που το ουσιαστικό του ενδιαφέρον είναι ότι διαδραματίζεται κατά την διάρκεια του καταστροφικού ελληνοτουρκικού πολέμου-οπερέτα του 1897.
"Οι σκέψεις ενός ερωτευμένου κάνουν κύκλους ή έστω κινούνται σε πιο κυκλικές τροχιές από τις σκέψεις των άλλων, που εν πολλοίς κινούνται ευθύβολα."

[Bill Lively · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read like a dime store romance.