# By False Pretenses explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter satirizes John S. Hittell, a self-proclaimed genius and author of an opera lacking music and libretto, who gains a fortune from a woman who could not read and was unaware of his writing ability.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

Hittell's false pretenses as a writer and the woman's ignorance of his true nature highlight themes of deception.

### Art and Criticism

The chapter critiques Hittell's artistic pretensions and his role as a critic, mocking his self-proclaimed mastery.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator describes John S. Hittell with biting satire.

## Key lines

> A woman left it him who could not read, And so went down to death’s eternal night Sweetly unconscious that the wretch could write.

An illiterate woman bequeathed him a fortune, dying unaware that he was a writer.

_Highlights the irony and deception central to the chapter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/by-false-pretenses
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters