{"product_id":"the-cream-of-the-jest-9781513297286","title":"The Cream of the Jest","description":"\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. 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 \u003cp\u003eSince our inception in 2020, \u003cb\u003eMint Editions\u003c\/b\u003e has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \n\u003cp\u003eWith thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Branch Cabell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48283965489403,"sku":"9781513297286","price":5.84,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_38196a10-0790-41ed-b4f2-8282c81deead.jpg?v=1771382780","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-cream-of-the-jest-9781513297286","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}