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데빌 악마의 사전.The Book of The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce
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AUTHOR'S PREFACE
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:
"This more reverent title had previously been forced upon him by the religious
scruples of the last newspaper in which a part of the work had appeared, with
the natural consequence that when it came out in covers the country already had
been flooded by its imitators with a score of 'cynic' books―The Cynic's This,
The Cynic's That, and The Cynic's t'Other. Most of these books were merely
stupid, though some of them added the distinction of silliness. Among them, they
brought the word 'cynic' into disfavor so deep that any book bearing it was
discredited in advance of publication."
Meantime, too, some of the enterprising humorists of the country had helped
themselves to such parts of the work as served their needs, and many of its
definitions, anecdotes, phrases and so forth, had become more or less current
in popular speech. This explanation is made, not with any pride of priority in trifles,
but in simple denial of possible charges of plagiarism, which is no trifle. In merely
resuming his own the author hopes to be held guiltless by those to whom the
work is addressed―enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to
sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang.
A conspicuous, and it is hoped not unpleasant, feature of the book is its
abundant illustrative quotations from eminent poets, chief of whom is that learned
and ingenius cleric, Father Gassalasca Jape, S.J., whose lines bear his initials.
To Father Jape's kindly encouragement and assistance the author of the prose
text is greatly indebted.
A.B.
