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Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce. A cynic “sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic’s eyes to improve his vision.”. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?). 10 th of 13 children; lived in a log cabin in Ohio. War experiences

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Ambrose Bierce

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  1. Ambrose Bierce A cynic “sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic’s eyes to improve his vision.”

  2. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) • 10th of 13 children; lived in a log cabin in Ohio. • War experiences • Joined the 9th Indiana Volunteers at age 19 • Saw action at Shiloh and Chickamauga • Part of General Sherman’s march to the sea • Severely wounded once; cited for bravery 15 times

  3. Personal Life • Married Mary Ellen Day in 1871 • Three children • Day, son, was shot in a brawl over a woman • Leigh, son, died of pneumonia related to alcoholism • Helen, daughter • Divorced wife after discovering letters from an admirer; she died the year after. • 1913: Bierce asks his few friends to “forgive him in not perishing where he was” and set off for Mexico. He was never heard from again.

  4. His Writing • Sarcastic, caustic, humorous, realistic • Left the army, joined brother to work at the U.S. Mint • Began contributing caustically (bitter) witty, short pieces to the weeklies • Muckraking reporter, editor of the San Francisco News Letter, humorist magazine writer, novelist • “Bitter Bierce” – disillusioned with the deceit and greed of his times

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