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20th out of 87 books
—
96 voters
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
The last thoughts and desperate struggles of a man condemned to die by hanging make for white-knuckle suspense in this classic short story.
ebook, 24 pages
Published
(first published 1890)
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A nondescript locale…an ordinary man…a simple hanging...
A crime of entrapment…a law upheld…a punishment rendered…
A life cut short...fear...regret...despair...
AN OCCURRENCE…
A miracle...a broken rope...a death forestalled...hope renewed...
A fate escape…a second change…LIFE...
Thoughts of home...of love...of family...joy returns...
A difficult journey…a struggle worthwhile...a blissful reunion…
AN OCCURRENCE…
(view spoiler)...more
A crime of entrapment…a law upheld…a punishment rendered…
A life cut short...fear...regret...despair...
AN OCCURRENCE…
A miracle...a broken rope...a death forestalled...hope renewed...
A fate escape…a second change…LIFE...
Thoughts of home...of love...of family...joy returns...
A difficult journey…a struggle worthwhile...a blissful reunion…
AN OCCURRENCE…
(view spoiler)...more
Kurt Vonnegut once said he "considers anybody a Twerp who hasn’t read the greatest American short story, which is 'Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,' by Ambrose Bierce...It is a flawless example of American genius."
Perhaps not the greatest, but it makes you think.
Perhaps not the greatest, but it makes you think.
In Asia, aphorism is a high art; there, the greatest of poems may be said in one breath. In the West, our greatest poems come in books numbered twelve, and only the greatest of men can remember the length of them.
However, we still maintain our aphorists, though often consider them as comical wits, would do well to remember the skill of indicating truth is with them. There is the poet, Nietzsche, who is also a philosopher and who summed up the goal of the aphorist well: "It is my ambition to say...more
However, we still maintain our aphorists, though often consider them as comical wits, would do well to remember the skill of indicating truth is with them. There is the poet, Nietzsche, who is also a philosopher and who summed up the goal of the aphorist well: "It is my ambition to say...more
This was a short story displayed in our junior class literature text book. And although our textbook has no good stories to offer, this story was brilliant. It's beautiful yet, dark. Definitely my cup of tea.
I’ve stumbled across this title a couple of times online and finally found a remote reference that had a link. The author’s talent for description is abundantly clear after the first two paragraphs and lends itself to a sense of urgency that prevails throughout the rest of the story. You can't really go into too much detail without completely ruining the story; however, it is reminiscent of the last few minutes of 25th Hour and can see why Kurt Vonnegut cited it as the greatest American short st...more
One of my goals this year is to read more classics and frankly, I'm really having a hard time reading them. I think age affects the reader's choices on what books he/she will read. First of all, sometimes the writing seems to be too archaic which makes it hard to interpret and because of that, my interest will slowly (or sometimes in an instant) fade. I had to read a certain page repeatedly for me to understand what the author's saying. I'm not ashamed of that because I'm doing my best to unders...more
I was just reminded of this excellent story by a Goodreads friend who wrote a review of it. I first read the story in high school then in college and have since taught it at college level.
What would you do if you were about to die and then suddenly -poof!- you were given an unexpected second chance to live and could choose what is dearest to you? Who or what would be dearest to you?
This is set in the 19th century but there have always been people through out history and today as well who have m...more
What would you do if you were about to die and then suddenly -poof!- you were given an unexpected second chance to live and could choose what is dearest to you? Who or what would be dearest to you?
This is set in the 19th century but there have always been people through out history and today as well who have m...more
I consider this book one of my favorites now. Reading it made me realize that as human beings , we need a a proper ending of our lives, and how our minds play a role in creating that end as a final solution ..
Peyton Farquhar - the main character- was eager to become a soldier, live like one, and even die like one . He was manipulated and then hanged. In the seconds that separated him from his trivial insignificant death, his brain created a new scene, a heroic death, and gave him the closure h...more
Peyton Farquhar - the main character- was eager to become a soldier, live like one, and even die like one . He was manipulated and then hanged. In the seconds that separated him from his trivial insignificant death, his brain created a new scene, a heroic death, and gave him the closure h...more
Civil War short story - Yankee troops are about to hang a rebel sympathizer off of a bridge in Alabama. The rope breaks and he revels on his life and how he loves all of it - including bugs, animals, grains of sand and of course his beautiful wife and family.
The detail is palpable and makes the ending all the more tragic (Bierce was known for his surprizing endings). This short little story was made into a short film by a French film crew in 1963 and won short subject awards at both Cannes and...more
The detail is palpable and makes the ending all the more tragic (Bierce was known for his surprizing endings). This short little story was made into a short film by a French film crew in 1963 and won short subject awards at both Cannes and...more
This was originally part of a collection "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians" which was published in 1891. It was made into a short French film that won the Academy Award in 1963 and it was adapted for "Twilight Zone" in 1964. It is said to be the inspiration for the movie "Jacob's Ladder".
It was brief (24 pages), but well written; very gripping with excellent vocabulary. Worth reading.
SPOILER:
It's about a civilian who is to be hanged for sabotage during the civil war. He escapes the hanging, swim...more
It was brief (24 pages), but well written; very gripping with excellent vocabulary. Worth reading.
SPOILER:
It's about a civilian who is to be hanged for sabotage during the civil war. He escapes the hanging, swim...more
When I read "The Damned Thing" in The Dark Descent, I immediately decided I was an Ambrose Bierce fan. So I read a little about him, and in doing so, read a spoiler for "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."
Whoops.
So, I already knew what was going to happen when I finally got around to reading the story. But, damn--it was still fantastic. Bierce did an incredible job of painting a picture, using a full spectrum of senses to describe what was going on at any given time.
There's a reason this is a ti...more
Whoops.
So, I already knew what was going to happen when I finally got around to reading the story. But, damn--it was still fantastic. Bierce did an incredible job of painting a picture, using a full spectrum of senses to describe what was going on at any given time.
There's a reason this is a ti...more
I remember reading this story in high school, and while I already loved literature, Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge really illuminated the use of technique in good literature. Here was an author in command of his craft. Excellent story.
When I first read this story, I didn't appreciate it much. It is very well-written and it brings you to experience the scene as if you were Peyton himself--but it felt lacking as I didn't get the overall point of it. However, after reading it a second time and really thinking about it, I realized: this is a story about love. Love at its strongest when we hold on to it as we die. Love being the force that drives a person against the most merciless waves, or the force that gives a person the quiet...more
I first became aware of this short story when it appeared in an episode of the TV show, Lost. Having read it now, I can see how it influenced the creators of that show. It features some of the same things that made me such a fan of Lost - characters you care about, intriguing flashbacks, and a shock ending.
I love stories that are told non-linearly, and the flashback in this story is perfectly placed to increase the tension and drama. And as the story unfolds, you care more and more about the ma...more
I love stories that are told non-linearly, and the flashback in this story is perfectly placed to increase the tension and drama. And as the story unfolds, you care more and more about the ma...more
I've never read anything by Ambrose Bierce and this was a great place to start. It is a very immediate, visceral sort of story that's all about the senses. There is nothing like being so close to Death that you can reach out and shake his hand to bring everything into sharp focus. Bierce's vivid prose captures the desperation and drive of a man about to be hanged, who may just be given a second chance after all. It's a story filled with dramatic flair and urgent energy. Thanks for the rec, Steph...more
I read this very short story for my junior English class and was intrigued by the overall theme it was under, "The Rise of Realism". It was so detailed and actually made me feel like I was there, experiencing it with him. And it was quite intense because I do visualize myself at least watching the story take place. But this time, her flow of words... Indescribable. Her writing style has become such an inspiration because I have always admired those that can get the readers, not only enjoy, but e...more
“Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him. In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference”
“As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into the doomed man’s brain rather than evolved from it the captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside”
“He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed, preternaturally ke...more
“As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into the doomed man’s brain rather than evolved from it the captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside”
“He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed, preternaturally ke...more
Some stories are just fun to read.
Some take our credos in hand and turn them upside down.
Some are downright blasphemous.
Some take you to the place where you have never been and didn't imagine that they actually exist.
This story belongs to the last category.
I am afraid that if I discuss anything here I may give up something related to the story.
And then you may not be able to enjoy the sense of awe that I felt after reading it.
I don't want to do that to anyone at any cost.
So just to sum up...more
Some take our credos in hand and turn them upside down.
Some are downright blasphemous.
Some take you to the place where you have never been and didn't imagine that they actually exist.
This story belongs to the last category.
I am afraid that if I discuss anything here I may give up something related to the story.
And then you may not be able to enjoy the sense of awe that I felt after reading it.
I don't want to do that to anyone at any cost.
So just to sum up...more
Woah. Sad. This was such a good story. While the writing style is a tad dated, it is still very evocative and terse. The structure too, is in a sense very modern: it has lots of action, it has tight endings to chapters, and has a killer twist ending. This is one that can still entertain modern audiences. My only gripe is: I'm not sure that the second section is truly needed. It does, however, add depth to the loss created by the ending (plus it creates the break needed to step away and then back...more
I still think this story is astonishing. I'm never quite able to forget it.
I read this for an English assignment and went head to head with my English professor on the story's symbolism. I admit, much of the conflict was just me trying to get a rise out of her - she could be quite close-minded when it came to interpretations that differed from her own. Anyway, I enjoyed the story quite a lot. I also recommend watching the French short film of the story called "La Rivière du Hibou" from 1963. If it looks familiar, it's probably because they aired it once as an episode o...more
I was in an innovative high school Senior English class called Theory of Knowledge - or ToK. As a Senior there was English, Honors English, and then ToK. I began the year in regular ol' English. I was far from what most would call an overachiever. I wasn't even an achiever. I was kind of just a stoner.
Nonetheless, I had a good friend who was an achiever, was in ToK, and was really excited about the reading list. She convinced me to switch courses.
I don't remember everything we read in ToK, but...more
Nonetheless, I had a good friend who was an achiever, was in ToK, and was really excited about the reading list. She convinced me to switch courses.
I don't remember everything we read in ToK, but...more
"He was now in full possession of his physical senses. They were, indeed, preternaturally keen and alert. Something in the awful disturbance of his organic system had so exalted and refined them that they made record of things never before perceived. He felt the ripples upon his face and heard their separate sounds as they struck. He looked at the forest on the bank of the stream, saw the individual trees, the leaves and the veining of each leaf - he saw the very insects upon them: the locusts,...more
Wow. For a moment there, right before the ending, after Farquhar survives the river and is trudging through the woods, I remember thinking "Oh great. This is gonna suck. I don't think short stories are my thing." Then mere moments later, I was literally staring at the screen mentally screaming "That's awesome."
This was my first experience with Bierce and I found it totally satisfying. I found it really interesting that Bierce mysteriously disappeared. I think I might have to find a biography of...more
This was my first experience with Bierce and I found it totally satisfying. I found it really interesting that Bierce mysteriously disappeared. I think I might have to find a biography of...more
Oct 20, 2011
Ghirardelli
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who enjoy twists
Recommended to Ghirardelli by:
My awesome English teacher
I first saw the short film for this short story in my 12th grade English class with one of my favorite teachers ever. Ambrose Bierce is his favorite author, and he begged begged begged us to read this short story in our free time.
And I'm so glad he did. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge tells the tale of a man who is about to be hanged. I'll spoil if I say more, I kid you not, but I really want everyone to read this. It's brilliance. Ambrose Bierce is a damn genius.
This is up there with The Cask...more
And I'm so glad he did. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge tells the tale of a man who is about to be hanged. I'll spoil if I say more, I kid you not, but I really want everyone to read this. It's brilliance. Ambrose Bierce is a damn genius.
This is up there with The Cask...more
HahahahahHAHAHAHahHAHhHA! I LOVE THIS ONE! Sorry. It's amazing, and not to mention, it's a Twilight Zone episode! :D YAY!
Ummmm. Well, there is a guy who did something wrong, and he is going to be hung on a bridge at Owl Creek. This takes place during or after the Civil War. Before he drops he runs off into the woods, and escapes the clutches of the evil people...He runs, runs, runs, runs, through the woods till he comes to a house with a woman, his wife. There almost is a reunite (Is that right?...more
Ummmm. Well, there is a guy who did something wrong, and he is going to be hung on a bridge at Owl Creek. This takes place during or after the Civil War. Before he drops he runs off into the woods, and escapes the clutches of the evil people...He runs, runs, runs, runs, through the woods till he comes to a house with a woman, his wife. There almost is a reunite (Is that right?...more
I read somewhere that Ambrose Beirce was the only great American writer to have fought in the Civil War.
Even with this in mind, reading these stories is a strange experience. While his voice certainly contains a solid streak of the 19th century gothic-romantic, it is also a hard-edged, masculine voice -- the voice of a soldier. HP Lovecraft as told by Ernest Hemingway.
There is also something very modern about Beirce's storytelling. I was surprised to learn, after reading the first story and Wi...more
Even with this in mind, reading these stories is a strange experience. While his voice certainly contains a solid streak of the 19th century gothic-romantic, it is also a hard-edged, masculine voice -- the voice of a soldier. HP Lovecraft as told by Ernest Hemingway.
There is also something very modern about Beirce's storytelling. I was surprised to learn, after reading the first story and Wi...more
Spoiler Alert: It is revealed that Farquhar never escaped at all; he imagined the entire third part of the story during the time between falling through the bridge and the noose finally breaking his neck.
Alot of movies, books in today's age are being made like this. Soprano's, Taxi Drivers, The Dark Knight Returns (Batman) as well.....its up to the Audience to create an open mind of there surroundings. Love this kind of lifestyle/writing.
Alot of movies, books in today's age are being made like this. Soprano's, Taxi Drivers, The Dark Knight Returns (Batman) as well.....its up to the Audience to create an open mind of there surroundings. Love this kind of lifestyle/writing.
Fabulously imaginative and creepy. This was way, way ahead of it's time. Bierce was a masterful craftsman of the English language and here captured an idea, a concept that went on to influence scores of writers after him. I always think of the last sight of him, riding "ramrod straight" into Mexico never to be heard from again. Want, need, to read more of his work, especially because Ray Bradbury seems to have been influenced so much by him.
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Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary.
The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitt...more
More about Ambrose Bierce...
The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitt...more
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“It looked like diamonds, rubies, emeralds; he could think of nothing beautiful which it did not resemble.”
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