<Tr> <Th> Also published in </Th> <Td> Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (1891) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Online </Th> <Td> Available at the Internet Archive </Td> </Tr> <P> "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", a short story by American author Ambrose Bierce, is "one of the most famous and frequently anthologized stories in American literature". Originally published by The San Francisco Examiner on July 13, 1890, it was first collected in Bierce's 1891 book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians . The story is set during the American Civil War, in which Bierce himself was a soldier . </P> <P> "An Occurrence" is renowned for its irregular time sequence and twist ending . Bierce's narrative, discarding linear sequence, and adopting the protagonist's inner experience, is an early employment of stream of consciousness . Calling it "the greatest American short story", author Kurt Vonnegut added, "It isn't remotely political . It is a flawless example of American genius, like' Sophisticated Lady' by Duke Ellington or the Franklin stove ." </P>

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