An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce 9781480014657 Books
Download As PDF : An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce 9781480014657 Books
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (born June 24, 1842; died sometime after December 26, 1913) was an American editorialist, journalist, short storywriter, fabulist, and satirist. Today, he is probably best known for his short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and his satirical lexicon The Devil's Dictionary. His vehemence as a critic, his motto "Nothing matters" and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". Despite his reputation as a searing critic, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. His style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, impossible events and the theme of war. -wikipedia
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce 9781480014657 Books
First let me say that this review contains spoilers. This is a pity. The only reason I placed these spoilers in this review is that the product description here already lets the cat out of the bag as to the ending. This is a pity.Anyway....
I first read this story years and years ago. It was one of the many short stories we had to read in a special advanced English course I took in high school. Like most kids of that age I felt I was being force fed a bunch of stuff I had absolutely no interest in and must admit that I fought it. Over the years I have forgotten most to many of the numerous stories we read during that year, which is sort of sad when you think about it, but I have to tell you that this offering from Ambrose Bierce was not one of those that I consciously or unconsciously shuffled either to the back of my mind or out of it completely. No, no - far, far from it! This one has stuck with me throughout the years and I was delighted when I found it as a free Kindle download.
A Confederate man; a planter in northern Alabama during the Civil War has been captured by Union Solders. He has been sentenced to death and the story begins on a railroad bridge as the man stands on a railroad bridge with a rope noose about his neck about to be hanged. The board he is standing upon is tilted and he begins to fall.
This entire short story takes place in the doomed mans mind as he falls to the end of the rope. The reader at this point does not realize this and we watch in sickening slow motion as the rope breaks, the planter hits the water, is shot at, makes a daring escape, struggles through the woods and finally finds himself going up the steps of his home to the loving arms of his wife...snap..white searing light!
As the story progresses in becomes more and more surreal and the reader starts getting hints that not all is as it seems. When you consider when this work was written and published; around 1891, this is a rather remarkable ploy. You know something strange is going to happen but it is not until the final line; the final word that your suspicions are confirmed. Now I have never been hung. I probably should have been on a few occasions, but so far I have been fortunate. I am not at all sure that that much would go through a persons mind during the last three for four seconds of his or her life but that is rather moot. Whether this would actually happen is beside the point. The great thing about this story is that the author had the ability to make it quite real.
This story deserves to be read closely. In truly great short stories what is not written is quite often just as important as what is written. All great short story writers have this ability and Bierce most certainly had it going when he wrote this one.
In many ways this is a haunting story; anyway it was to me. While it most certainly cannot be classified as a horror story I can most emphatically tell you that it horrified me when I first read it. It had the same effect as several of the stories Poe wrote; the impact on my mind was just as great.
The quality of the Kindle download is quite good on this one. It will take you 15 or 10 minutes to read and it is free. It is most certainly worth your time.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce 9781480014657 Books Reviews
When I was in the sixth grade, I had a teacher who used to show this short film. It was on one of those old reel-to-reel projectors, so I'm telling my age here. In the film, which is set in civil war Alabama (it must have been an Alabama history class), a civilian is about to be hanged from a railroad bridge by soldiers of the Union army. When the plank drops however, he finds himself plunging into the water. He manages to untie himself and swim downstream while dodging bullets. He succeeds in escaping and makes his way thirty miles back home where his wife comes running out the door with open arms to greet him. But there's a twist to the ending so I won't spoil it for you.
Thirty years after watching this film, I read the short story, called "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce. I still can't figure out why I had to watch this film so many times in school. It's supposedly a great work of literature, but it now seems like a piece of southern-culture indoctrination-propaganda as I look back on it and question it. But the story is eerie and morbid and not unlike some of my worst nightmares, so that's why I had to read it.
Written by David Allan Reeves
Author of "Running Away From Me"
This is not a book, it is a booklet. I was expecting a full size paperback. I overlooked the fact that it is only 30 pages. Too expensive for what you get so I returned it.
good
Interesting read!
Odd, like an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Only this one is not recommended. I see I have seven more words required, there you have it.
I loved this movie the first time I saw it. I watched it with my children, but a few short years later, my youngest son and a grandson died in a car wreck. Now, I have other grandchildren, but I still long to see those who aren't with us.
Losing a child or a grandchild will always be with you. Yes, I picked up the pieces, but the counselor I went to told me you never get over it. You just learn to live with it..
I had no idea what I was about to read. As I read, I experienced “standard” pro-segregation B.S.!
An ending I won’t comment on. Certainly interesting ?
First let me say that this review contains spoilers. This is a pity. The only reason I placed these spoilers in this review is that the product description here already lets the cat out of the bag as to the ending. This is a pity.
Anyway....
I first read this story years and years ago. It was one of the many short stories we had to read in a special advanced English course I took in high school. Like most kids of that age I felt I was being force fed a bunch of stuff I had absolutely no interest in and must admit that I fought it. Over the years I have forgotten most to many of the numerous stories we read during that year, which is sort of sad when you think about it, but I have to tell you that this offering from Ambrose Bierce was not one of those that I consciously or unconsciously shuffled either to the back of my mind or out of it completely. No, no - far, far from it! This one has stuck with me throughout the years and I was delighted when I found it as a free download.
A Confederate man; a planter in northern Alabama during the Civil War has been captured by Union Solders. He has been sentenced to death and the story begins on a railroad bridge as the man stands on a railroad bridge with a rope noose about his neck about to be hanged. The board he is standing upon is tilted and he begins to fall.
This entire short story takes place in the doomed mans mind as he falls to the end of the rope. The reader at this point does not realize this and we watch in sickening slow motion as the rope breaks, the planter hits the water, is shot at, makes a daring escape, struggles through the woods and finally finds himself going up the steps of his home to the loving arms of his wife...snap..white searing light!
As the story progresses in becomes more and more surreal and the reader starts getting hints that not all is as it seems. When you consider when this work was written and published; around 1891, this is a rather remarkable ploy. You know something strange is going to happen but it is not until the final line; the final word that your suspicions are confirmed. Now I have never been hung. I probably should have been on a few occasions, but so far I have been fortunate. I am not at all sure that that much would go through a persons mind during the last three for four seconds of his or her life but that is rather moot. Whether this would actually happen is beside the point. The great thing about this story is that the author had the ability to make it quite real.
This story deserves to be read closely. In truly great short stories what is not written is quite often just as important as what is written. All great short story writers have this ability and Bierce most certainly had it going when he wrote this one.
In many ways this is a haunting story; anyway it was to me. While it most certainly cannot be classified as a horror story I can most emphatically tell you that it horrified me when I first read it. It had the same effect as several of the stories Poe wrote; the impact on my mind was just as great.
The quality of the download is quite good on this one. It will take you 15 or 10 minutes to read and it is free. It is most certainly worth your time.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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