Scan barcode
A review by jordantaylor
The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
3.0
First published in 1906 under the title "The Cynic's Word Book," "The Devil's Dictionary" is exactly what (both) the titles announce: a dictionary of words defined with a devilishly cynical mindset.
I was researching 19th Century American writers when I found Ambrose Bierce, who immediately struck me as an interesting character. He was born in a small coal mining town and later became an apprentice at a printing shop, before enlisting in the Union army during the Civil War. His family life was tragic, and his literary life controversial. His later years are shrouded in mystery, as he disappeared without a trace into Mexico, and the date and circumstances of his death are completely unknown. My interest in Bierce led me to discovering his dictionary. I immediately loved the sound of the idea, and read it straight through one night with a cup of black coffee (I normally drink it sweetened, but bitter just seemed more appropriate).
I didn't find this book as uproariously, timelessly hilarious as Amazon promised me I would.
In fact, timeless is not a word that I would use to describe it. Maybe Amazon was referring to an edited version? Mine included a lot of words, jargon, lingo and references to sayings that went completely over my head as a reader in 2012. I'm sure that if I had been a reader in, rather, 1912, I would have marveled at Bierce's satiric wit and twists of phrases. But I found myself, at these instances, only wishing that the publisher had added in some enlightening notes.
Bierce covers a wide array of poking fun. There are the politically-incorrect entries:
- "ABORIGINES, n. Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country. They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize."
- "AIR, n. A nutritious substance supplied by a bountiful Providence for the fattening of the poor."
The domestic affairs entries:
- "BRUTE, n. See HUSBAND."
- "BEAUTY, n. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband."
- "HOUSELESS, adj. Having paid all taxes on household goods."
- "LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage..."
The church and state entries:
- "ALDERMAN, n. An ingenious criminal who covers his secret thieving with a pretense of open marauding."
- "ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third."
- "WALL STREET, n. A symbol for sin."
- "PRIMATE, n. The head of a church..."
- "INFIDEL, n. In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does."
(That last one I found particularly insightful and one of my favorite in the book).
And others I found notably funny:
- "CIRCUS, n. A place where horses, ponies and elephants are permitted to see men, women and children acting the fool."
- "CLAIRVOYANT, n. A person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that which is invisible to her patron, namely, that he is a blockhead."
- "DUEL, Once, a long time ago, a man died in a duel."
- "MOUSE, n. An animal which strews its path with fainting women. As in Rome Christians were thrown to the lions, so centuries earlier... female heretics were thrown to the mice."
- "RAMSHACKLE, adj. Pertaining to a certain order of architecture, otherwise known as the Normal American."
So, yes, I did find a few laughs in this book, and I am glad to have read it.
On the other hand, I found many of the poems used as examples of using given words in sentences annoying, the frequent defining of mythical creatures and places jarring, and certain concepts over-used and no longer half so funny by the time I got to the letter M. Bierce especially wears out his use of pickpockets, and the word appeared so many times I do not think that I will ever be able to see pickpockets in a comical light again. I don't think it would have been possible to squeeze in another pickpocket metaphor no matter how funny Bierce (and his editors) seemed to think them.
And so, I only passably enjoyed this non-typical dictionary.
But, who knows, maybe reading this was just making me cynical.
I was researching 19th Century American writers when I found Ambrose Bierce, who immediately struck me as an interesting character. He was born in a small coal mining town and later became an apprentice at a printing shop, before enlisting in the Union army during the Civil War. His family life was tragic, and his literary life controversial. His later years are shrouded in mystery, as he disappeared without a trace into Mexico, and the date and circumstances of his death are completely unknown. My interest in Bierce led me to discovering his dictionary. I immediately loved the sound of the idea, and read it straight through one night with a cup of black coffee (I normally drink it sweetened, but bitter just seemed more appropriate).
I didn't find this book as uproariously, timelessly hilarious as Amazon promised me I would.
In fact, timeless is not a word that I would use to describe it. Maybe Amazon was referring to an edited version? Mine included a lot of words, jargon, lingo and references to sayings that went completely over my head as a reader in 2012. I'm sure that if I had been a reader in, rather, 1912, I would have marveled at Bierce's satiric wit and twists of phrases. But I found myself, at these instances, only wishing that the publisher had added in some enlightening notes.
Bierce covers a wide array of poking fun. There are the politically-incorrect entries:
- "ABORIGINES, n. Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country. They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize."
- "AIR, n. A nutritious substance supplied by a bountiful Providence for the fattening of the poor."
The domestic affairs entries:
- "BRUTE, n. See HUSBAND."
- "BEAUTY, n. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband."
- "HOUSELESS, adj. Having paid all taxes on household goods."
- "LOVE, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage..."
The church and state entries:
- "ALDERMAN, n. An ingenious criminal who covers his secret thieving with a pretense of open marauding."
- "ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third."
- "WALL STREET, n. A symbol for sin."
- "PRIMATE, n. The head of a church..."
- "INFIDEL, n. In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does."
(That last one I found particularly insightful and one of my favorite in the book).
And others I found notably funny:
- "CIRCUS, n. A place where horses, ponies and elephants are permitted to see men, women and children acting the fool."
- "CLAIRVOYANT, n. A person, commonly a woman, who has the power of seeing that which is invisible to her patron, namely, that he is a blockhead."
- "DUEL, Once, a long time ago, a man died in a duel."
- "MOUSE, n. An animal which strews its path with fainting women. As in Rome Christians were thrown to the lions, so centuries earlier... female heretics were thrown to the mice."
- "RAMSHACKLE, adj. Pertaining to a certain order of architecture, otherwise known as the Normal American."
So, yes, I did find a few laughs in this book, and I am glad to have read it.
On the other hand, I found many of the poems used as examples of using given words in sentences annoying, the frequent defining of mythical creatures and places jarring, and certain concepts over-used and no longer half so funny by the time I got to the letter M. Bierce especially wears out his use of pickpockets, and the word appeared so many times I do not think that I will ever be able to see pickpockets in a comical light again. I don't think it would have been possible to squeeze in another pickpocket metaphor no matter how funny Bierce (and his editors) seemed to think them.
And so, I only passably enjoyed this non-typical dictionary.
But, who knows, maybe reading this was just making me cynical.