Can Such Things Be?

"Can Such Things Be?" by Ambrose Bierce is a collection of supernatural tales written during the late 19th century. The stories delve into themes of death, the afterlife, and the intersection of reality with the paranormal, showcasing Bierce’s dark humor and philosophical musings on life and mortality. The opening story, "The Death of Halpin Frayser," introduces the titular character, who awakens in a forest, haunted by a sense of dread and memories intertwined with both the living and the spectral. The beginning of the collection sets the tone with Halpin Frayser waking in a mysterious forest and uttering a name he barely remembers—Catherine Larue. His journey leads him into a nightmarish dream where he encounters blood and shadowy whispers, evoking a palpable sense of terror and guilt tied to a potential crime he cannot recall. As the narrative unfolds, Frayser confronts chilling apparitions, including a spectral vision of his mother, adding layers of familial tension and horror. Through vivid imagery and a brooding atmosphere, Bierce engages readers with a narrative that blurs the line between reality and the spectral realm, promising unsettling revelations as the tales progress. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book The Devil's Dictionary was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. His story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" has been described as "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature", and his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians was named by the Grolier Club one of the 100 most influential American books printed before 1900.