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younger-self
Posted April 20, 2009
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The Devil's Dictionary is required reading for the student of sarcasm and humor. It was written by a bitter intellectual, at a time in history when North America had its share of major problems and the rest of the world was getting closer to facing disasters of every type. Ambrose Bierce was a romantic realist, dissatisfied with politics, with authority, with human nature, with art, but still a believer in all those things. He was the forerunner of European intellectualism, one of the first cult figures in literary history and an inspiration to generations of Don Quijotes as well as the dadaists, existentialists and absurdists of the twentieth century.
I strongly believe that writers, politicians and people desiring to be interesting conversationalists will benefit from having this small book nearby.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.AnaMardoll
Posted December 17, 2010
The Devil's Dictionary / 978-1-411-43027-3 DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work. This "dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce is witty, scathing, and totally hilarious. In his characteristic style, he dishes out his contempt and distaste for those societal norms which he sees as foolish, hypocritical, and dangerous. This is not a book to read, but - truly - a dictionary to reference whenever the mood takes. The aphorisms ring true, even today, and the only real complaint is that we would wish for so much more - the dictionary is "only" 219 pages long, and while that is quiet a fair lot of words, oh, we wish he could have left us even more... ~ Ana Mardoll
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 25, 2010
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I got this book for my 16 year old sister who is very capable of being scathing and contemptuous, but also she is very, very witty. With this book she is able to put a different spin on "regular" definitions. Particularly useful for the morbidly comical in an English class, this book provides the darkest definitions for even the brightest of events. "birth is the first day you start dying" type thing. If you take this book seriously, it could make you angry or sad.. but if you use it to make your english papers more entertaining...
Use it as a source for any paper in school and it will be hilarious, and a actual source. It was a perfect gift for my sister, just don't take it seriously.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 22, 2000
Bierce started The Devils Dictionary as a weekly article written in 1881 in a local San Francisco paper. Yet when you read his comments and observations, you must feel that he truly did not belong to his age, but more to ours!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 20, 2013
Dont buy this book. I read rhe sample and its so bad
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Posted January 8, 2013
I hate it and want to get rid of it
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Posted September 24, 2012
A part of me went missing...when you left. It's so wrong, and I shouldn't feel this way, but it still hurts. There is just one thing I need to ask. When will I see you again? ((Okay, I literally cried when N left at the end of Pokemon Black and White. Yes, I am a ferriswheel shipper. I can't wait to see N when BW2 comes out this October, can you? :3))
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 8, 2012
I think no won should read this
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 26, 2011
Just buy the ¿95 one.. ;-)
0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 13, 2011
I bought this book to get different definitions for certain words I am using in my first attempt to write. It has very interesting definitions of many words, makes me laugh out loud when I read it.
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Posted October 3, 2011
No one should even look at this unless ur loominade
0 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 30, 2010
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Posted March 26, 2009
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Posted November 27, 2010
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Posted September 15, 2010
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Posted June 6, 2011
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Posted April 14, 2010
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Posted December 30, 2009
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Posted July 30, 2011
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Posted May 14, 2011
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Overview
Over 1,000 barbed and brilliant definitions by the 19th-century journalist and satirist often called "the American Swift." Congratulations are "the civility of envy." A coward is "one who in an emergency thinks with his legs." A historian is a "broad-gauge gossip," more. H. L. Mencken called these "some of the most gorgeous witticisms in the English language."