recommendation for a story?

SnakThe Rabble Discuss Cabell: James Branch Cabell &c

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recommendation for a story?

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1paradoxosalpha
mar 13, 2013, 2:08 pm

I'd like to nominate a Cabell story for our list of weekly reads at the Weird Tradition group on LT (i.e. the DEEP ONES). Cabell does after all rate significant mention, if not his own chapter, in Joshi's The Weird Tale. I'm thinking of something from The Silver Stallion, perhaps "The Candid Footprint"? Any suggestions?

We're entering our final week to settle out the spring reads, so I'd need any recommendations by this weekend.

2Crypto-Willobie
Redigeret: mar 13, 2013, 5:47 pm

The Candid Footprint seems a good one for your group, as perhaps would be What Saraide Wanted, or In the Sylan's House, from the same book; all a little weird but rather good-natured.
But if you're looking for 'grim-weird' Cabell I suppose the closest fits would be either A) The White Robe (a sexually ambiguous, anti-clerical werewolf tale) but it's not easily available at a good price right now -- not public domain yet (1926, not pre-1923), and hasn't been anthologized, so you're talking $15 -$20 for a copy of The Witch-Woman (1948); or B) Concerning Corrina from The Certain Hour, a fave of Neil Gaiman's, unrevised version available here http://books.google.com/books?id=OjURAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=cer... , though it's a little talky up until the reveal -- probably Machen-influenced.

3paradoxosalpha
Redigeret: mar 13, 2013, 6:44 pm

> 2

Yeah, I love The White Robe, but I had ruled it out due to availability issues. I haven't read The Certain Hour yet, though I have a copy. You've just given me a reason! On further review, I think "In the Sylan's House" might be better than my original pick.

4elenchus
mar 13, 2013, 11:09 pm

I'm sorely straitened for reading time, but I may have to jump back into the DEEP ONES for this, I've enjoyed the discussions in the past and I'm about due for new Cabell.

So that's my intrinsic enthusiasm. Not optimistic about finding time, but that's what these external motivators are for.

5Crypto-Willobie
Redigeret: mar 14, 2013, 11:05 am

Most of The Certain Hour is not weird at all, but more along the lines of fictional literary biography -- not to say that it isn't good. Another borderline weird Cabell is The Wedding Jest, an interesting combination of graveyard bewitchment and romantic optimism. The orginal magazine version is online here http://www.unz.org/Pub/Century-1919sep-00588 , or probably slightly revised since Cabell revised everything constantly, as the first story in this book http://books.google.com/books?id=7yrSHXtWuTAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cab...

6paradoxosalpha
mar 16, 2013, 9:49 am

Now I can't find the Joshi reference I instanced in #1. Either it's just not indexed (there are two negligible Cabell mentions which are), I mis-attributed a passage from some other book, or I hallucinated the thing altogether.

7elenchus
mar 20, 2013, 11:34 pm

The situation as described in 6 is ever-so-fitting for Cabelliana. I daresay you'll sort it out soon enough, though it may end up as mundane as a cold creme jar.