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The Cream of the Jest: A Comedy of Evasions
Hardcover
FantasyClassic FictionGeneral Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025577388
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 272
Weight: 1.23
Height: 0.63 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Cream of the Jest is a masterful exploration of the boundaries between reality and the imagination, blending sophisticated satire with high fantasy. The narrative follows Felix Kennaston, a disillusioned author living in the quiet town of Lichfield, who discovers a mysterious metal artifact known as the Sigil of Scoteia. Through this object, Kennaston is transported into a dreamscape where he assumes the persona of Horvendile, an ageless traveler in the mythical land of Poictesme. As he navigates this vibrant, medieval world in search of the elusive Ettarre, the line between his mundane suburban existence and his fantastical visions begins to blur.
James Branch Cabell crafts a Comedy of Evasions that serves as both a critique of the mundane and a celebration of the creative spirit. The work is renowned for its rhythmic prose, intricate irony, and its role as a pivotal entry in the author's expansive cycle of legends. By examining the human desire to escape the limitations of the physical world through art and myth, The Cream of the Jest remains a profound and witty meditation on the nature of truth and the elusive pursuit of happiness. It is an essential read for admirers of early 20th-century literary fantasy and philosophical fiction.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
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