TO READ THE STORY
This month’s story, by Ambrose Bierce, explores the complications of being born ‘One Of Twins’. Life as a twin starts out as an amusing curiosity for Henry Stevens, but ultimately leads to disaster and tragedy. As always, you will get the most out of this masterclass if you read the story yourself: https://writ.rs/ oneoftwins
The story is in the form of a letter from Henry, that has apparently been found in the papers of a certain Mortimer Barr, a researcher into the psychology of twins, after his death. Note how presenting the story in this way lays claim to a level of provenance and authenticity. Notice the indications of a blurred sense of identity in this early section. The twins, Henry and John, were identical to the point that Henry couldn’t be certain whether or not their identities may have swapped back and forth in the earliest years of their lives. They were so alike that even
