The Other Lodgers by Ambrose Bierce
THE OTHER LODGERS by Ambrose Bierce is a short story that follows the tale of a man who rents a room in a boarding house. The narrator, who is also a lodger, becomes increasingly suspicious of his fellow tenants and their strange behavior. As he investigates further, he discovers a hidden room in the house where a mysterious figure resides. The story builds up to a chilling climax as the narrator realizes that the figure may be more than just a mere lodger.
By Ambrose Bierce · First published 1874 · Genre: Horror, Short Stories, Mystery · 1,068 words
First lines
"IN order to take that train," said Colonel Levering, sitting in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, "you will have to remain nearly all night in Atlanta. That is a fine city, but I advise you not to put up at the Breathitt House, one of the principal hotels. It is an old wooden building in urgent need of repairs. There are breaches in the walls that you could throw a cat through. The bedrooms have no locks on the doors, no furniture but a single chair in each, and a bedstead without bedding-just a mattress. Even these meager accommodations you cannot be sure that you will have in monopoly; you must take your chance of being stowed in with a lot of others. Sir, it is a most abominable hotel.
What this Textopian page supports
The Other Lodgers is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ambrose Bierce, dated 1874 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: 1874 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Mystery, Fantasy
- Length: 1,068 words
- Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Other Lodgers 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 The Other Lodgers?
- 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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Genres
- Horror — The book is filled with elements of the supernatural and unexplained, fitting well into the horror genre
- Short Stories — The book is a collection of short stories, qualifying it for this genre.
- Mystery — The book contains several elements of mystery, as the protagonist encounters strange occurrences and must decipher them.
- Fantasy — The book includes various fantastical aspects and elements throughout, placing it within the fantasy genre.
Tags
ghost story · supernatural · haunting · mystery · thriller · suspense · horror · fiction · short stories · anthology · classic literature · american literature