The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Volume 10 Part 2

This part reveals Bierce’s critical persona as he evaluates contemporary literature and art. He reviews figures such as Edwin Markham, Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata, and Marie Bashkirtseff, examining their artistic merit. As a “controversialist,” he debates issues like peasant insurrections, the nature of the short story, poetry versus verse, and the definition of greatness. Each essay probes the tension between thought and feeling in art. Bierce’s characteristic cynicism and sharp logic run throughout the section.