Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce, Selected and Introduced by E. F. Bleiler

I should have known this volume of Ambrose Bierce’s ghost and horror stories would be a clunker when E. F. Bleiler, in his introduction, almost apologized for the up-and-down quality of the stories — as well as for Bierce’s famously unpleasant character.

The first problem is the stories are tough sledding. Bierce’s highly stylized, complex, detail-packed writing style frequently forced me to reread passages two or three times to grasp his meaning. For example:

“I began bravely by analyzing my pet superstition about the place. Having resolved it into its constituent elements I arranged them in convenient troops and squadrons, and collecting all the forces of my logic bore down upon them from impregnable premises with the thunder of irresistible conclusions and a great noise of chariots and general intellectual shouting. Then, when my big mental guns had overturned all opposition, and were growling almost inaudibly away on the horizon of pure speculation, the routed enemy straggled in upon their rear, massed silently in.to a solid phalanx, and captured me, bag and baggage.” (Ambrose Bierce, The Haunted Valley)

If this sort of prose appeals to you, read the book immediately.

A second problem is the relentless scorn Bierce displays for his characters and society in general. While this attitude made him an effective hatchet man, the role he played in his career as a journalist, the continual misanthropic jabs make for tiresome fiction, as for instance:

“Moreover, he employed the best legal talent in the Territory to defend the memory of his departed friend, and for five long years the Territorial courts were occupied with litigation growing out of the Gilson bequest. To fine forensic abilities Mr. Brentshaw opposed abilities more finely forensic; in bidding for purchasable favors he offered prices which utterly deranged the market; the judges found at his hospitable board entertainment for man and beast, the like of which had never been spread in the Territory; mendacious witnesses he confronted with witnesses of superior mendacity.” (Ambrose Bierce, The Famous Gilson Bequest)

This tone is pretty consistent throughout every story, and consequently the reader has no sympathy for the protagonists, the victims, or really any characters at all.

A third problem: the stories are repetitive. The setups are similar and the fates of the victims are similar. The various plot devices and settings are mainly variations on a theme.

That said, some stories are rock solid. The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is one of his best-known and influential works,  having been adapted for radio, film and television numerous times. Occurrence has a clever and original (and often imitated) plot, and thankfully lacks much of the malice ladled on so thick in other of his tales. The Damned Thing, another popular story, offers a perfectly unsettling and appropriately unclear ending;  The Middle Toe of the Right Foot also has a perfect ending, but with no vagueness at all. The Eye of the Panther is another highlight, having some rather entertaining psychological dimensions and characters who are at least amusing in their unpleasantness.

Overall grade: C+