James Branch Cabell

The Cream of the Jest James Branch Cabell

James Branch Cabell's classic philosophical and comic novel, a mix of fantasy and realism, exploring the life of Felix Kennaston, a passionate writer obsessed with the idea and pursuit of Ettare, an idealized but untouchable woman. Kennaston pursues Ettare in his dreams, jumping across places and time periods. Driven by his dream inspiration, Kennaston finds success as an author, but his relationship with his wife suffers. Convinced that his connection to Ettare is influenced by a broken sigil, of which he holds two pieces, and following his wife's cryptic urging, Kennaston consults with his neighbor, Richard Harrowby, about the meaning of the sigil. Although Harrowby is reluctant to provide definitive answers, Kennaston explains that the sigil has fostered his appreciation for the miraculous in life. Set in the fictional "Lichfield, Virginia" (based upon Cabell's native Richmond, Virginia), the story jumps across time and space to the Mediterranean, the Middle Ages, and the mythical country of Storisende. The book-in-a-book structure and meta-developments of the plot preceded numerous modern story-in-a-story works. Later reprintings of the novel featured the subtitle: "A Comedy of Evasions."