{"product_id":"the-cream-of-the-jest-paperback","title":"The Cream of the Jest - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames Branch Cabell\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMint Editions\u003c\/b\u003e (Contribution by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e (1923) is a novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly pawnbroker can encounter monsters, gods, and devils, The Cream of the Jest is one work in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the \u003ci\u003eBiography of the Life of Manuel.\u003c\/i\u003e Partly inspired by the obscenity trial surrounding his novel \u003ci\u003eJurgen, a Comedy of Justice\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e is a metafictional blend of literary criticism and fantasy fiction about an author whose sudden fame shocks his sleepy hometown. To the people of Lichfield, Felix Kennaston is an unremarkable neighbor whose literary ambitions are pursued in secrecy and obscurity. While completing a fantasy novel, he discovers a strange talisman not unlike the one his hero Horvendile presented to his beloved Ettare. That night, Felix meets Ettare in a dream, inspiring him to rewrite the story's ending. When it is published, charges of obscenity threaten to sink his dreams before they can be realized. But critical attention has the opposite effect, making Kennaston a bestselling author overnight. Told from the perspective of Richard Harrowby, a neighbor from Lichfield, \u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating blend of literary criticism and fantasy that poses important questions about the divide between fiction and the world we live in. Cabell's work has long been described as escapist, his novels and stories derided as fantastic and obsessive recreations of a world lost long ago. To read \u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e, however, is to understand that the issues therein-the struggle for power, the unspoken distance between men and women-were vastly important not only at the time of its publication, but in our own, divisive world. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of James Branch Cabell's \u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFelix Kennaston is known around the town of Lichfield as a dreamer, a strange man with literary ambitions and little to show for them. While finishing a story, he discovers a strange talisman. Later that night, a dream inspires him to change his novel's ending, guaranteeing its unlikely success. \u003ci\u003eThe Cream of the Jest\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel by James Branch Cabell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 150\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.33 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 03, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52547622207795,"sku":"9781513295787","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/WmJRckhsdzRMMG0vYktXYzg2Mlo2UT09.webp?v=1761012101","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/the-cream-of-the-jest-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}