Pharsalia vs The Red Badge of Courage: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Literature and the War, Facsimiles, Criticism and interpretation, History, Fiction

Pharsalia Lucan · 1486 ★★★★☆ 3.9 424 pages · ≈ 7 h 51 m · Demanding

"In this edition Professor Fantham offers the first full-scale commentary on the neglected second book of Lucan's epic poem on the war between Caesar and Pompey: De bello civili. Book II presents all three leading…

Latin Manuscripts Rome Civil War Latin Epic poetry Campaigns

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The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane · 1855 ★★★☆☆ 3.3 184 pages · ≈ 3 h 24 m · Demanding

The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the…

1 film adaptation

American Manuscripts Civil war Histoire Cartoons and comics

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Pharsalia highest: Pharsalia 3.9 · The Red Badge of Courage 3.3.
The Red Badge of Courage is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Pharsalia.
The Red Badge of Courage has the widest readership — 111749 ratings behind its score.
The Red Badge of Courage reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 9 times.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Red Badge of Courage ≈ 3h vs 7h for Pharsalia Want the crowd-tested pick? The Red Badge of Courage 111749 ratings vs 1705 for Pharsalia Just want the better-reviewed one? Pharsalia 3.9 vs 3.3 from readers Want the literary heavyweight? The Red Badge of Courage cited 9 times vs 4 for Pharsalia

Scores by source

	Pharsalia	The Red Badge of Courage
Goodreads	3.9 (1705)	3.3 (111749)
Hardcover	—	3.1 (126)
Apple Books	—	4.0 (191)

Reception

	Pharsalia	The Red Badge of Courage
Ratings	1705	111749
Editions	182	639
Citations	4	9
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	59	45096
Reading it now	2	3797
Written reviews	2	5103
Wikipedia attention	2559	7124
Pages	424	184

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Pharsalia or The Red Badge of Courage?

Pharsalia has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pharsalia 3.9/5, The Red Badge of Courage 3.3/5).

Which is shorter to read: Pharsalia or The Red Badge of Courage?

The Red Badge of Courage is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Red Badge of Courage (184 pages, ≈ 3 h 24 m); Pharsalia (424 pages, ≈ 7 h 51 m).

Which is harder to read: Pharsalia or The Red Badge of Courage?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Pharsalia: Demanding; The Red Badge of Courage: Demanding.

Have both books been made into films?

Pharsalia: no film adaptation on record; The Red Badge of Courage: 3 film adaptations.