tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post2555868921952101107..comments2024-03-29T03:04:00.853-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: Bierce comes up with cool stuff - flying men and killer chess robotsAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-81263455567660511692012-04-19T16:44:29.798-05:002012-04-19T16:44:29.798-05:00Ha ha ha ! Point conceded!
Yes, any reader whose...Ha ha ha ! Point conceded!<br /><br />Yes, any reader whose curiosity is piqued by the ram should track down exactly why he has launched himself like that. The answer will be a fine surprise.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-28356518220769942262012-04-19T13:48:40.640-05:002012-04-19T13:48:40.640-05:00No, here's the best bit in "The Damned Th...No, here's the best bit in "The Damned Thing":<br /><br />"...I sometimes write stories." <br /><br />"I sometimes read them." <br /><br />"Thank you." <br /><br />"Stories in general — not yours."scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-90894592549130799022012-04-19T13:07:14.985-05:002012-04-19T13:07:14.985-05:00The next sentence is good too; the curious reader ...The next sentence is good too; the curious reader can easily find it online...<br /><br />"The Horla" is also different in being, apparently, a record of Maupassant's own descent into insanity. I don't know if Bierce is derivative; he may not have read it. Of course, invisible beings have a long history in folklore (and in insanity).Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-79731156376988269962012-04-19T11:24:49.754-05:002012-04-19T11:24:49.754-05:00Lest the reader think "What are these crazy p...Lest the reader think "What are these crazy people talking about?":<br /><br />"Onward and upward the noble animal sailed, its head bent down almost between its knees, its fore-feet thrown back, its hinder legs trailing to rear like the legs of a soaring heron."<br /><br />Bierce's variation is more of a true science fiction concept - the physical phenomenon itself is interesting. "The Horla" is more about the mental state of the narrator - so I suppose the last part of "The Damned Thing" is derivative of M. The page or so with the action scene - the rustling in the oats - is fantastic.<br /><br />If I were more interested in the Lovecraft connection, I would write more about "The Damned Thing": "I am not mad; there are colors that we cannot see."Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-4695359498458056032012-04-19T10:50:30.281-05:002012-04-19T10:50:30.281-05:00The flying ram in "My Favorite Murder" i...The flying ram in "My Favorite Murder" is memorable, too: Bierce at his most outrageous and most pictorial.<br /><br />"The Damned Thing" is a pretty potent invention, too. Maupassant's "Horla" came first (had Bierce read it?), but Bierce ran with it in his own way.Doug Skinnerhttp://www.dougskinner.netnoreply@blogger.com