{"product_id":"figures-of-earth-a-comedy-of-appearances-9781513295701","title":"Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFigures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances\u003c\/em\u003e (1921) is a comic fantasy novel by James Branch Cabell. Set in a world where history and fantasy collide, where a lowly swineherd can rise to be Count of Poictesme, \u003cem\u003eFigures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances\u003c\/em\u003e is one of Cabell's best-known works of fiction, and is included in a series of novels, essays, and poems known as the \u003cem\u003eBiography of the Life of Manuel\u003c\/em\u003e. \"They of Poictesme narrate that in the old days when miracles were as common as fruit pies, young Manuel was a swineherd, living modestly in attendance upon the miller's pigs. They tell also that Manuel was content enough: he knew not of the fate which was reserved for him.\" Unsatisfied with life as a lowly swineherd, Manuel follows his heart in pursuit of place where true happiness exists. A proponent of medieval chivalry, he encounters gods and goddesses, kings and queens, as he passes from one otherworldly realm to the next. As the chains of the past begin to fall away, Manuel discovers that through determination and valor, he can excel the circumstances of his humble birth. Set in a fictionalized France of the 13th century, \u003cem\u003e \u003cem\u003eFigures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eis a captivating story of fantasy and adventurer featuring a flawed hero whose mythical world is not entirely different from 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 \u003cem\u003e\u003cem\u003eFigures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003c\/em\u003e 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\u003cem\u003e \u003cem\u003eFigures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eis a classic of fantasy and romance reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Mint Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/03\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781513295701\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.48d","brand":"James Branch Cabell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41261728989365,"sku":"9781513295701","price":10.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_2f40bb67-befd-4955-9a20-63bd52b2d607.jpg?v=1634652205","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/figures-of-earth-a-comedy-of-appearances-9781513295701","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}