Description

In a down-and-out neighborhood of New York, a young girl nurtures an innocent hope for happiness and love. Stephen Crane's 1893 novel Maggie: A Girl of The Streets, is the story of fragile dreams in a harsh and unrelenting world. Maggie's home is one marked by despair and suffering. Money is scarce, her parents are neglectful, and her siblings spend their days fighting with other children in the streets. Still, Maggie dreams of a better life, somehow remaining true to herself amidst the chaos. When a childhood friend, Pete, returns to her life years later, Maggie begins to believe that her hopes may have been answered. She falls deeply in love with Pete, and is soon swept into a passionate affair. When her relationship is discovered, Maggie is forced to make a difficult choice between the man she loves and her cruel but demanding family. Choosing love above all, Maggie leaves home and becomes dependent on Pete for everything. All she can do is hope that the life she has chosen will remain solid, and that her dreams will not slip through her fingers.

About the Author

Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was born to a devoutly religious family in New Jersey. He grew up among several siblings, seemingly unsure of what he wanted in life. As a young man Crane drifted from one college to another, eventually deciding to drop out in order to become a journalist in New York. His keen observations of the harrowing lives of those in some of New York's poorest neighborhoods led to his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, in 1893. Finding inspiration in an altogether different time and place, Crane went on to write movingly of the American Civil War in his most famous work, The Red Badge of Courage. It was this later novel that brought Crane critical praise and financial success as a writer. He returned to his journalistic roots, commanding a stellar salary as a war correspondent in Cuba and Greece. Crane settled in England after his years as a reporter, but died of tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-eight.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

A very little boy stood upon a heap of gravel for the honor of Rum Alley. He was throwing stones at howling urchins from Devil's Row who were circling madly about the heap and pelting at him.
His infantile countenance was livid with fury. His small body was writhing in the delivery of great, ...