Chivalry

James Branch CabellProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 324K words
Chapters: 33

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Chivalry by James Branch CabellAuthor: Cabell, James Branch, 1879-1958,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 26, 2008

Editor's review

Chivalry is a literary work by James Branch Cabell, classified under American and Canadian literature and released by Project Gutenberg as a free English-language ebook. Cabell's writing is often ironic and given to stylistic pastiche. The book takes chivalry as its theme, but it is not a straightforward adventure story; it is closer to a literary retelling and dismantling of the chivalric romance tradition. Readers can see how an early twentieth-century American writer borrowed medieval material for modern narrative experiments, with polished language, intricate structure, and a distinctly bookish wit. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to consult at any time and suits readers interested in the fantastic and satirical traditions of American literary history. One need not rush to find a moral lesson; instead, pay attention to the narrator's tone, the use of allusion, and the way "chivalry" is redefined.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the chivalric romance and satirical traditions in American literature
Literary enthusiasts who enjoy stylistic experimentation, ironic narration, and allusion
Students who need English public-domain literary works for reading practice
Learners studying narrative techniques in early twentieth-century American fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting traditional medieval knightly adventures
Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast-paced plots and straightforward narration
Readers with limited English reading experience who need annotations or translations

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the basic motifs of chivalric romance first; the irony and rewriting will then be easier to appreciate.
Note the narrator's tone and word choice; Cabell's wit often lies in mismatches of tone and allusion.
After each piece, revisit the title and consider how the author uses an old subject to explore modern ideas.
Read alongside other public-domain chivalric works to compare romanticized narration with satirical retelling.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book about real medieval knightly history?

No. It is a literary work that uses the theme of chivalry for narrative and stylistic experiments, not a work of historical scholarship. Readers should not treat it as medieval historical material.

Can I read this book without a background in chivalric literature?

Yes, but understanding will be limited. It helps to learn basic motifs such as the Arthurian legends first, so you can better grasp the author's parody and rewriting of tradition.

How difficult is the language?

The material indicates an English literary text. Cabell's diction is polished and his sentences have a bookish style, which poses some difficulty for non-native readers. Use a dictionary and slow down.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain ebooks. This is its English electronic edition, convenient for reading and searching on electronic devices, but it usually lacks modern scholarly annotations and introductions.

Comments

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About the author

James Branch Cabell Author · American · 1879–1958

James Branch Cabell (1879–1958) was an American writer born in Richmond, Virginia, and a graduate of the College of William & Mary in 1898. Much of his fiction is set in the invented kingdom of Poictesme. His best-known work, Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, became the subject of an obscenity prosecution, a famous episode in early twentieth-century American literary censorship. The collection here includes 13 of his works, among them Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances, Chivalry, and Gallantry, many bearing the subtitle "comedy," which reflects his tendency to treat chivalric romance and the worship of women with irony and parody. Public information is limited, but his books use fantastical frameworks for social allegory, creating a distinctive style poised between popular and serious fiction.