An Inhabitant of Carcosa
"The Inhabitant of Carcosa" is a short story written by Ambrose Bierce, first published in 1893. The story follows an unnamed narrator who visits the town of Carcosa, where he encounters a mysterious inhabitant who claims to be from a far-off land. The inhabitant tells the narrator a strange tale of a kingdom hidden in the heart of a forest, where the inhabitants live in a state of eternal sleep. As the narrator listens to the inhabitant's story, he begins to feel a sense of unease and disquiet, as if he is being drawn into a world of darkness and madness. The story ends with the narrator feeling lost and disoriented, unsure of what is real and what is just a product of his own fevered imagination.
By Ambrose Bierce · First published 1872 · Genre: Horror, Short story, Mystery · 1,630 words
First lines
For there be divers sorts of death-some wherein the body remaineth; and in some it vanisheth quite away with the spirit. This commonly occurreth only in solitude (such is God's will) and, none seeing the end, we say the man is lost, or gone on a long journey-which indeed he hath; but sometimes it hath happened in sight of many, as abundant testimony showeth. In one kind of death the spirit also dieth, and this it hath been known to do while yet the body was in vigor for many years. Sometimes, as is veritably attested, it dieth with the body, but after a season is raised up again in that place where the body did decay.
What this Textopian page supports
An Inhabitant of Carcosa is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ambrose Bierce, dated 1872 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Ambrose Bierce
- Date: 1872 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Short story, Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Length: 1,630 words
- Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for An Inhabitant of Carcosa by Ambrose Bierce
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering An Inhabitant of Carcosa?
- How does this short story by Ambrose Bierce fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Horror first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- A Vine On A House by Ambrose Bierce
- The Spook House by Ambrose Bierce
- The Retrospective Bird by Ambrose Bierce
- In High Life by Ambrose Bierce
- A Possibility by Ambrose Bierce
Genres
- Horror — The story is set in an eerie, unearthly setting with themes of death and the afterlife, synonymous with the horror genre.
- Short story — The narrative is a brief account which follows a standalone plot, characteristic of short stories.
- Mystery — The narrative is marked by an atmosphere of ambiguity and uncertainty about the protagonist's existence which falls under mystery.
- Fantasy — The story is set in a fictional location with supernatural elements, common in fantasy literature.
Tags
gothic fiction · horror · supernatural · fantasy · magic realism · weird fiction · speculative fiction · short story collection · 19th century literature · American literature · classic horror · victorian era