The long march: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The long march: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The long march is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Styron, William (1925–2006).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The long march" by William Styron is a novella written in the mid-20th century. It follows Marine reservists at a Carolina training base in the early 1950s after a deadly training accident, focusing on Lieutenant Culver, his embittered friend Captain Mannix, and their exacting commander, Colonel Templeton. The story probes fear, aging, and the pull of authority as a punishing overnight march becomes a test of bodies, loyalties, and pride. The opening follows Culver witnessing the graphic aftermath of two misfired mortar rounds that kill eight men and wound many more, then flashing back to his reluctant recall from a settled New York life to a disorienting camp routine. Through Culver’s eyes we meet Templeton—cool, theatrical, and devoutly Marine—and Mannix, a scarred veteran whose cynicism erupts in lectures, at the officers’ club, and in memories of past peril. Templeton orders a thirty-six-mile forced march to “shape up” the battalion; Mannix responds with fierce resolve to make his company finish, despite a nail in his boot and rising pain. The narrative tracks the start of the march: a brutal pace in sand, thirst, silence broken by Mannix’s bullying cadence, brief breathers on the roadside, and Culver’s mounting panic and fatigue. Mannix’s mood swings between grief (after viewing a boy’s shattered body) and harsh command as he goads his men and wrestles with his own wound. The section closes with the march underway, Mannix hurting, and Templeton hovering—calm, implacable—as the night’s ordeal deepens.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The long march
- Author credits: Styron, William (1925–2006)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Korean War, 1950-1953 -- United States -- Fiction
- War stories
Gutenberg collections
- Category: American Literature
- Category: Novels
Read this edition
View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
Sources
More in Books & Authors
Keep reading
