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Meaning
The joke defines a nihilist as a Russian who rejects everything except Tolstoi. It also pokes fun at Tolstoi by calling him the school’s leader. The quote uses exaggeration and irony to satirize philosophical labels.
When It Was Said
Not documented yet.
Who It Was Said To
Not documented yet.
Historical Context
Not documented yet.
Source
영어고전1,221 앰브로즈 비어스의 악마의 사전 1906(English Classics1,221 The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce) (2023)
Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
The phrase appears in the book "영어고전1,221 앰브로즈 비어스의 악마의 사전 1906(English Classics1,221 The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce) (2023)" by Ambrose Bierce (Google Books snippet); no earlier source was checked.
Did You Know?
Not documented yet.
About Ambrose Bierce
American author, journalist, and poet
Ambrose Bierce was an American author, journalist, and poet. He was a prolific writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for his sharp literary style and his influence on American journalism and fiction. He wrote realist fiction, horror, satire, war stories, and poetry, and was also known as a forceful literary critic. His work later won broader recognition for its range, especially his fiction and poems, while his war writing influenced later writers such as Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway.
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Ambrose Bierce
The Devil's Dictionary
2007
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
2003
Cobwebs from an Empty Skull
1874
Can Such Things Be? [24 stories]
1893
Can Such Things Be?
2015