The Devil's Dictionary
A satirical dictionary that defines words and phrases with ironic and often humorous definitions, critiquing societal norms, politics, and morality of the time. It includes entries on topics like patriotism, marriage, and education, among others. The work is a commentary on the hypocrisy and contradictions of human nature.
By Ambrose Bierce · First published 1911 · Genre: Satire, Philosophical, Humor · 27 chapters · 80,071 words
First lines
The Devil's Dictionary was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at long intervals until 1906. In that year a large part of it was published in covers with the title The Cynic's Word Book, a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve. To quote the publishers of the present work:
What this Textopian page supports
The Devil's Dictionary is listed on Textopian as an essay by Ambrose Bierce, dated 1911 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: Ambrose Bierce
- Date: 1911 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Philosophical, Humor, Dictionary, Literary Criticism
- Length: 80,071 words
- Structure: 27 chapters, 1,379 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Devil's Dictionary?
- How does this essay by Ambrose Bierce fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Satire first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Satire — The work employs humor and irony to critique societal norms and human behavior.
- Philosophical — It explores deep themes about morality, existence, and the human condition through definitions.
- Humor — The writing style is characterized by wit and clever wordplay, making it entertaining.
- Dictionary — The format is structured as a dictionary, providing definitions with a unique twist.
Tags
Satire · Humor · Irony · Sarcasm · Philosophical · Social Commentary · Cynicism · Dark Comedy · Wit · Intellectual · Academic · Linguistic
Contents
- Author's Preface
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z