Ambrose Bierce and the dance of death / Sharon Talley.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Childhood and the fear of death in the Parenticide Club and "Visions of the Night" -- The failed journey to self-understanding in "The death of Halpin Frayser" -- Sacred to death: tales of terror from In the Midst of Life -- Doubling death: seeking the immortal self in stories from Can such things be? -- Courage and cowardice: facing death in Bierce's early Civil War writings -- Death before dishonor: seasoned soldiers and the burden of heroism -- Collateral damage: civilians and the human cost of war -- Seeking death: tales of suicidal war heroes -- Surviving war: "Phantoms of a blood-stained period" and posttraumatic stress disorder -- Bierce's final dance of death.

Ambrose Bierce and the Dance of Death uses psychoanalytic theory in combination with historical, cultural, and literary contexts to examine the complex motif of death in a full range of Bierce's writings. Scholarly interest in Bierce, whose work has long been undervalued, has grown significantly in recent years. This new book contributes to the ongoing reassessment by providing new contexts for joining the texts in his canon in meaningful ways. Previous attempts to consider Bierce from a psychological perspective have been superficial, often reductive Freudian readings of individual stor.

Print version record.

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