Project Gutenberg 2014-11-22 Public domain in the USA. 207 Herman, William (Author of The dance of death) The Dance of Death Supposed authors are Ambrose Bierce and Thomas A. Harcourt, writing under joint pseudonym. Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by the Internet Archive "The Dance of Death" by William Herman is a provocative critique written in the late 19th century. The text delves into the moral implications of contemporary dance, particularly focusing on the waltz, which the author associates with a range of societal vices, including lust and degradation. With a critical eye, Herman explores the entanglement of innocent social gatherings with the darker approaches of sexual temptation, using vivid descriptions and a scathing tone to challenge readers' perceptions of decorum and morality. The opening portion introduces the author's perspective through an engaging narrative that takes the reader into a luxurious ballroom filled with beautiful dancers and the alluring atmosphere of a social event. As the festivities unfold, Herman juxtaposes the apparent innocence of the gathering with the underlying sexual motives and questionable interactions among attendees. He highlights specific characters, such as a naive young maiden and her predatory male counterparts, illustrating how innocence is often compromised within the seductive embrace of the waltz. The author’s intent to expose the societal masks that hide moral decay becomes apparent, raising questions about the implications of modern social practices on personal integrity and public virtue. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 61.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Satire Waltz -- Social aspects PS Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches 159128 2025-06-19T06:58:11.146930 text/html 139400 2024-10-24T12:24:08 text/html 7627588 2025-06-19T06:58:17.315876 application/epub+zip 7616380 2025-06-19T06:58:12.436903 application/epub+zip 124531 2025-06-19T06:58:11.722899 application/epub+zip 7443290 2025-06-19T06:58:21.217859 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 7424078 2025-06-19T06:58:15.825881 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 171456 2022-09-21T14:19:19.763430 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 124887 2023-09-20T13:14:21.055800 text/plain 105222 2024-10-24T12:24:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15800 2025-06-19T06:58:21.390876 application/rdf+xml 9408 2025-06-19T06:58:11.840942 image/jpeg 2009 2025-06-19T06:58:11.780896 image/jpeg 6891475 2025-06-19T06:58:11.309948 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 More titles under Bierce, Ambrose