Chivalry (1909) is a fascinating collection of tales that draw
inspiration from the popular chronicles of medieval Europe. Author
James Branch Cabell immerses his reader into this distant world ,
masking his authorship in order to ensure a fluidity of form and
content that injects his work of high fantasy with a sense of
truth. Intentionally layered in mystery and claims of authenticity,
Chivalry purports to be a copy made by royal scribe Colard Mansion
of the Dizain of Queens, a collection of chronicles, tales, and
histories written by Messire Nicolas de Caen for the Princess
Isabella of Portugal. In "The Story of the Sestina," a traveling
singer has a chance encounter with the Queen of England, who
recognizes him as the esteemed Osmund Heleigh and requests of him a
song. As he joins her on her journey through war-torn countryside,
two things become clear-the pair have a secret history, and, as
battle nears, Osmund will soon have to offer more than his songs in
her service. As the collection's title suggests, many of Cabell's
stories follow a similar theme: the relationship between men and
women within a system regulated by honor, responsibility, and often
blind loyalty. "The Story of the Tenson," set in Spain in 1265,
follows Ellinor of Castile's efforts to escape her marriage in the
pursuit of love. In "The Story of the Choices," Queen Ysabeau of
England eases her boredom by devising a series of trials for the
knight Sir Gregory Darrell. Over the course of ten tales, tales of
danger, romance, intrigue, and courage, James Branch Cabell's
Chivalry broadens the mystery of the medieval world while
illuminating, and critiquing, our own. 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
Chivalry, 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. With a beautifully
designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition
of James Branch Cabell's Chivalry is a classic of fantasy and
romance reimagined for modern readers.
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