Project Gutenberg 2005-04-11 Public domain in the USA. 435 Bierce, Ambrose 1842 1913 Grile, Dod The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 08 Negligible Tales, On With the Dance, Epigrams Negligible tales -- The parenticide club -- The fourth estate -- The ocean wave -- "On with the dance!" a review. Paul Hollander, Govert Schipper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 08" by Ambrose Bierce is a collection of short stories and essays likely written in the early 20th century. This volume includes various tales, such as "Negligible Tales," "The Parenticide Club," and witty epigrams that reflect Bierce's dark humor and incisive satirical style. The topics range from absurdities of life and death to ironic takes on war and society, presenting a unique perspective influenced by the author's experiences in the Civil War and his sharp observations on human nature. At the start of the collection, the opening story "A Bottomless Grave" introduces us to the narrator, John Brenwalter, whose dysfunctional family life is illustrated through the tragicomic lens of their father's sudden death and the ensuing chaos. The tale unfolds as John's mother makes a bizarre request following the tragedy, leading to John's imprisonment for what he claims was a political act. As the story progresses, it sarcastically reveals the family's descent into crime and absurdity, blending dark humor with a narrative that critiques morality and societal norms. The subsequent tales promise similar wit and commentary, establishing Bierce's distinctive voice. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 65.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en American literature PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature 471499 2025-08-06T14:43:40.346059 text/html 487969 2022-01-30T05:50:31 text/html 434127 2025-08-06T14:43:49.279002 application/epub+zip 440268 2025-08-06T14:43:43.701021 application/epub+zip 251503 2025-08-06T14:43:42.412056 application/epub+zip 675746 2025-08-06T14:43:53.529007 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 651106 2025-08-06T14:43:48.401061 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 356523 2022-09-07T22:39:44.402931 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 419590 2025-08-06T14:43:39.607055 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 419413 2022-01-30T05:51:41 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19223 2025-08-06T14:43:53.664965 application/rdf+xml 15921 2025-08-06T14:43:42.929047 image/jpeg 3588 2025-08-06T14:43:42.669039 image/jpeg 169737 2022-01-30T05:52:08 application/octet-stream application/zip 338416 2022-01-30T05:52:27 application/octet-stream application/zip 426194 2025-08-06T14:43:40.389057 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia More titles under Herman, William (Author of The dance of death)