Read Online Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books
Read Online Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books
Download As PDF : Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books
Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice is a fantasy novel by American writer James Branch Cabell, which gained fame (or notoriety) shortly after its publication in 1919. It is a humorous romp through a medieval cosmos, including a send-up of Arthurian legend, and excursions to Heaven and Hell as in The Divine Comedy. Cabell's work is recognized as a landmark in the creation of the comic fantasy novel, influencing Terry Pratchett and many others.
Read Online Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books
"So, Amazon's algorithms Katherine up with Jurgen, citing my enjoyment of any number of obscure early fantasy books. I found it enjoyable, though dense and often obscure, and I am thankful for the education afforded me that I can follow the allusions and occasional bits of Latin. There were some surprisingly risque double-entendres, and a little research reveals that Cabell was indeed prosecuted for "indecency" (he won) . . . The obscurity of the text leads me to rate it 4 stars rather than 5, but the quality of the writing itself is really first-rate!"
Product details
|
Tags : Jurgen [James Branch Cabell] on . Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice is a fantasy novel by American writer James Branch Cabell, which gained fame (or notoriety) shortly after its publication in 1919. It is a humorous romp through a medieval cosmos,James Branch Cabell,Jurgen,Blurb,1389533239,FICTION / Fantasy / General,FICTION / General,Fiction/Classics,Fiction/General
Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books Reviews :
Jurgen James Branch Cabell 9781389533235 Books Reviews
- I read Jurgen the first time in 1954, when I was 20 years old. and then read everything else I could find by Cabell. Since that time, he had a bit of a revival, which I followed avidly. I took pleasure in Cabell's command of language, and was drawn into his medieval world of Poictesme.
Now, I find some other works more stimulating and challenging, such as ANYTHING by Robertson Davies, or among the classics, Les Miserables, or among the fantasy writers, William Gibson. But some of Cabell, such as Domnei, and The Cream of the Jest, still stand out in my mind. - It's hard to believe it, but "Jurgen" was once a cause celebre. Widely banned in the US for its randy allusions, its open publication was supported by the likes of SInclair Lewis and even philosopher George Santayana. Nowadays, it merely seems a mildly off-color but charming fable of romantic sexual fantasy versus the dour but certain reality of the married life. It is written in a drolly archaic style that was rather mannered even in the 1920s, but deeply loved by readers of that time (in some ways, Cabell was the Tolkien of the Jazz Age) and years since.
The tale tells of Jurgen, a middle-aged medieval pawnbroker who inadvertently speaks well of the Devil, and is hence rewarded with a fantasy journey that puts him in intimacy with a wide variety of great beauties of the past in worlds of Cabell's learned imagination. The running joke is that Jurgen can get away with nearly everything if he properly observes the appearance of the middle-class proprieties. Of course, in the end he finds that even the intense fantasy of Helen of Troy cannot equal the humble reality of his own home and hearth, to which he begs to return.
The language is wonderful, and quite a few of the japes are still roaringly funny. This may be the best place to begin reading Cabell, one of the 20th century's under-appreciated important writers. But I think that some of his other fantasies, such as "The High Place" and "Figures of Earth" cut much deeper. So does his non-fantasy novel, "The RIvet in Grandfather's Neck." - So, 's algorithms Katherine up with Jurgen, citing my enjoyment of any number of obscure early fantasy books. I found it enjoyable, though dense and often obscure, and I am thankful for the education afforded me that I can follow the allusions and occasional bits of Latin. There were some surprisingly risque double-entendres, and a little research reveals that Cabell was indeed prosecuted for "indecency" (he won) . . . The obscurity of the text leads me to rate it 4 stars rather than 5, but the quality of the writing itself is really first-rate!
- One of my favourite books. The explicit sex is dated, so that a young reader would be baffled upon reading it and surprised to know that was what it is. But unlike explicit sex of modern porn, this serves a purpose in telling a story. The story of Jurgen I won't spoil by retelling, but it is a magnificent ride and lively with the author's voice being very playful. It is an exploration of the nature of God by one who knows of God, but does not know him personally. It is beautiful but immature. When compared to the sequel Figures of Earth, an almost identical story but told with a more mature view of love, it completes a reader's education into US fantasy novels.
- Like many others who have written reviews, I read Jurgen long ago and was totally captivated. This hardly meant that I even came close to "totally understaning" it. In my 20's I was able to teach it and other works by Cabell. I am now in my 70's and am able to re-read the great and not so great books of my youth. My advice to new reders is just to read it and don't be intimidated by the blend of history and faantasy, the archaic and fake-archaic spellings, and the constant anagrams. Eventually some things will be clear. They are not "secret meanings," just additional layers. Enjoy, then (if it strikes you) dig more.
Jurgen is not cheap victorian porn as at least one reviewer has suggested. It is a vicious and brutal attack on the prudish and hypocrtical criticism that are as much a reality today as they were in Cabell's day. The brutal kingdom of Philistia destroys as much "evil" today as it did in Jurgen's novel.
A clue to entering Cabell's world here is his return to the garden between dawn and sunrise, where Jrgen starts his second journey through life. This dream of returning to reclaim the beauties and adventures of youth and to get a second chance may be common to all men or just to the lucky few. It was a time when the objects of our desire were not quite as beautiful as they seemed and when even our greatest adventures were not quite as great or as adventurous as they seemed then. Going back allows us to view them from the perspective of age and time, and if we have become wise, to sort them out.
Cabell ended another book (The Devil's Only Son) with one charater observing that "dreams are the disease of youth; growing up is being cured of them." Enjoy reading Jurgen. Enjoy returning to the dreams of youth. Join Cabell in the sadness that comes not from the fact that we are no longer young, but from the realization that these were just dreams. . . - This book was briefly notorious back in the 1920s, when a group in New York City tried to ban it as "obscene." Of course, sales exploded.
The angst was all about some very coy and sophisticated double-entendres which would have gone over the heads of most readers in any era.
All the commotion at least brought some attention to this witty and entertaining fantasy. Cabell wrote many more books in the same vein and, perhaps, began to repeat himself. But here his ideas and voice are fresh and new.
It's not for everyone, but if you're the sort who enjoys the elegant wordplay and fantastical mannerisms of writers like Nabokov or Italo Calavino, you might want to give it a try.
And, hey, in this edition, it's free.
-- J.C. Legere
Comments
Post a Comment