402 "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

Arts, History, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2022

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After being given $700 in Spanish gold by some newspapers, a 25-year-old Stephen Crane set out for Florida, where he planned to travel by boat to Cuba and cover the impending Spanish-American War as a war correspondent. But the steamship he boarded capsized after hitting some sandbars, forcing Crane and 28 shipmates - most of them arms runners friendly to the Cuban insurrectionists - into lifeboats and head into the open sea. Crane was one of the last to leave, and he wound up sharing a dinghy with the ship's captain and two others. While he didn't get to cover the war, the story of the four men, who struggled for days to survive without being rescued, helped add to Crane's growing literary fame. In this episode, Jacke explores (and reads in its entirety) the classic Stephen Crane story of shipwreck, "The Open Boat." Additional listening suggestions: Episode 90 - Mark Twain's Final Request Episode 101 - Writers at Work Conflict Literature (with Matt Gallagher) Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and LitHub Radio.
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1:09.0	Thank you.
1:10.0	Hello.
1:11.4	Stephen Crane was just 25 when he boarded the SS Commodore, a steamship on New Year's Eve,
1:17.2	1896 in Jacksonville, Florida, 28 men and a cargo of supplies and ammunition for the Cuban
1:25.3	rebels, who were in the midst of an insurrection against Spain.
1:30.5	The ship did not reach Cuba, however, it hit a sand bar which damaged its hull, then it
1:35.7	pressed on, it got beached again, and finally, as it hit open water, a leak began in the
	...

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