The Cream of the Jest
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Published: 2020
Language: eng
Subjects: Fiction
Description: <p><i>The Cream of the Jest</i> is a later entry in <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/james-branch-cabell">James Branch Cabell’s</a> <a href="https://standardebooks.org/collections/biography-of-the-life-of-manuel">Dom Manuel</a> series. The series as a whole is a fantasy series, and this entry takes a philosophical turn: after the first few chapters of standard high-fantasy fare, the narrative pulls out to reveal the point of view of the narrative’s author, Felix Kennaston.</p>
			<p>Kennaston life slowly starts to blur with his fantasy world. He finds himself constantly dreaming of Etarre, a mysterious, Beatrice-like figure; but every time he tries to touch her, he wakes up. Soon his neglected wife begins to blur in to Etarre, and his increasingly-philosophical dream worlds begin to become less distinguishable from his day-to-day life.</p>
			<p>Though <i>The Cream of the Jest</i> is a kind of capstone to a larger fantasy series, the book itself feels more like philosophy than fantasy. Kennaston’s journeys through his dream worlds explore a series of thoughtful threads, from the interface of thought and reality, to the power of religion, to the human condition.</p>