Customer Reviews

Jurgen a Comedy of Justice

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"I have finished Jurgen; a great and beautiful book, and the saddest book I ever read. I don't know why, exactly. The book hurts me -- tears me to small pieces -- but somehow it sets me free. It says the word that I've been trying to pronounce for so long. It tells me everything I am, and have been, and may be, unsparingly...I don't know why I cry over it so much. It's too -- something-or-other -- to stand. I've been sitting here tonight, reading it aloud, with the tears streaming down my face..." -- Deems Taylor, in a letter dated December 12, 1920.

What can I add to that? Jurgen is on my short list of very favorite books. It wrestles, in its odd way, with the fundamental tragedy of human life in general and male life in particular: We are doomed to age and die; meanwhile happiness will prove elusive. Wow, I'm making this sound awfully depressing, aren't I? But that's not right. Jurgen is humorous and fun and weirdly uplifting. Jurgen's strange adventures manage to represent all that a man may pursue and aspire to. The tale burns, but in a wonderfully brilliant way. (I made that comment about the tragedy of "male life" because Jurgen is, among other things, the quintessential rogue. His notion of how happiness might be ideally pursued differs somewhat from the ideas of the females he holds discourse with. Thus does Cabell illustrate a reality that we can either acknowledge or deny; take your choice. Enlightened people will prefer the latter.)

Jurgen isn't for everyone. Some will "get it" and some won't. I once handed a copy to a person who returned it with the comment that he wasn't a fan of the S&S ("swords & sorcery") genre. This surprised me; the book can only be described as S&S by someone who does not look below the surface. I mention this not to mock but to warn. Jurgen may be better appreciated by those who are stirred by symbol and metaphor. We may not be prancing through a magical world as Jurgen does, but some of us will see echoes of our own dreams and nightmares in his story. If you're such a person, then Jurgen may hit you like a ton of bricks. Otherwise you'll chuck the manuscript against the wall.

It's worth noting that Jurgen, in its circumspect way, managed to offend the contemporary powers-that-be. The book is obscurely suggestive without being explicit; it went over the heads of some, but others saw what was going on, and they either guffawed or objected vigorously. There were serious attempts to suppress it, which of course only made the text notorious. It was (and still is) politically incorrect, and it garnered something of a counter-cultural following for all the wrong reasons. Well, so be it. The book is great, and that's all there is to say.

The tale incorporates supporting characters and environments rummaged from myth and history. You won't need to know all these background details to understand or enjoy the plot; however if you should want to follow up, some rabid fans (of which there were many) put together a collection of footnotes way back in 1928. It's long out of print, but you'll find an Amazon listing on it (Amazon lists everything!); search Amazon books for ASIN=B00085DJ0A. A copy of the notes is also posted online; search the web on the phrase "Notes on Jurgen".

If you buy the book, you'll want the Dover paperback edition (ISBN=0486235076), which is a trade paperback and includes the wonderful old illustrations. Holding this edition in my hands just feels right. There's also a great unabridged audio cassette (ISBN=1574534505), rendered by a troupe of actors. They do a very nice job, switching to the most appropriate character to read the text as the book progresses.

Cabell was a prolific author, with "Jurgen" being his best-known (and probably his greatest) work. If you're unfamiliar with Cabell, "Jurgen" is the book to start with. If you want to follow up, look for "Figures of Earth".

I accidentally bumped into this book when I was in my 20s. Had no idea where it would lead me. Read it practically in one sitting. I was amazed that I understood what Cabell was driving at even tho I could not have explained it coherently to anyone.

Next I re-read it in my 50s. I never read books twice. Still amazed by it.

The book was buried in a box, after house moving many times. I re-discovered it last night. Now in my 80s I'm reading it all over again. Amazed as ever.

In the 1920s, James Branch Cabell (rhymes with "rabble") was considered by many to be one of the greatest American writers, based on this novel. Tastes changed with the coming of the Great Depression; worse, Cabell never again came close to writing a book of this quality, despite his many attempts. Whether or not Cabell is a great writer (and I incline to the view that writers should be judged by their best rather than their mediocre works), Jurgen is a great book, full of insight and a joy to read. The eponymous protagonist is a middle-aged pawnbroker who is given an opportunity to relive his youth. In his travels he encounters, among others, Guenevere, the Master Philologist, the Philistines, his father's Hell, and his grandmother's Heaven. In the end he has an opportunity to question Koshchei who made all things as they are. I heartily recommend this novel. Although it is in an older fantasy tradition, it is at least as readable and enjoyable as the best contemporary fantasy, and its literary quality is far greater. I have re-read it many times.

Early in his journey, Cabell's Jurgen comes to a place known as 'The Garden Between Dawn and Sunrise.' In the garden live all the imaginary creatures that humankind has ever created: centaurs and sphinxes, fairies, valkyries, and baba-yagas. Jurgen is surprised when he sees his first-love wandering around the garden, but his guide replies "Why, all the women that man has ever loved live here...for very obvious reasons."

Moments like this, simultaneously jaded and genuine, sentimental and cynical, are the most delightful parts of 'Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice.' Nominally the story of a medieval pawnbroker's quest to find his lost wife, 'Jurgen' becomes a bildungsroman in reverse as, on the way, its hero regains his youth and visits the lands of European myth, from Camelot to Cocaigne (the land of pleasure) -- each land shows Jurgen a way of life, and he rejects each in favor of his own sardonic stoicism, for he is, after all, a "monstrously clever fellow."

That phrase describes Cabell as much as it does Jurgen: the author is remarkably erudite, and, like a doting parent hiding easter eggs, drops in-jokes through the book on subjects as far-ranging as troubadour poetry and tantric sex. Cabell corresponded with Aleister Crowley in his day, and, in ours, is an influence on Neil Gaiman ('The Sandman,' 'Neverwhere,' etc.). The book itself caused quite a splash when it became the centerpiece of one of the biggest censorship trials of the early 20th century: something to do with Jurgen's very large *ahem* sword.

Social satire and an idiosyncratic cynicism in the guise of a scholarly romance-fantasy, 'Jurgen' is what would have happened if J.R.R. Tolkien and Dorothy Parker had gotten together to write a book.

Magically recovering his youth, Jurgen, a poet-cum-pawn broker of medaeval France, begins an erotic odyssey, in which he beds King Arthur's bride-to-be, a love goddess in her realm of pleasure, a tree nymph, the queen of Philistines, a vampire in Hell. He also gets to talk to God, Satan -- and the mysterious Katschei, creator of all things as they are. Full of puns, word play, references to obscure myths and legends of various cultures, and Americanizing the tradition of the picaresque epic, JURGEN is a delight for the Mensa set and ordinary readers alike. This edition reproduces the delightful illustrations cut for the first British publication of the work.

I read this 1921 book because H.L. Mencken, my guide when it comes to literature, thought so highly of it. It is perhaps most difficult to read because it is a fable and fables of course, do not consist of characters and actions which are based in reality. The book is a little hard to follow at the beginning. It is rather hard to explain what the story is about.

When the book starts, Jurgen is a pawnbroker in a mythical kingdom. Knowing what actions will please an elderly sorceress, he elicits from her the privillege of living as a young nobleman in several different kingdoms over the course of a year, all under different names and noble titles. Cabell writes in a slightly tongue in cheek tone as he describes Jurgen's vanity, and most explicitly his penchant for the ladies. The most common phrases Cabell uses to describe Jurgen's sexual exploits are that Jurgen "intended to deal fairly" with a particular lady and to the effect that when Jurgen retired to a lovemaking place with the lady, the place therein was dark and nobody can see anything in the dark. Because of the darkness the old sorceress, whose shadow followed Jurden, did not see Jurgen engage in sex acts which would have displeased her. Probably my favorite part of the book is where Cabell tongue in cheek uses evasive language to describe Jurgen's sexual actions, such as on page 140. At that point in the book Jurgen is married to the Queen Anaitis. Anaitis catches Jurgen and a lady at court, a resident expert on the Kama Sutra, involved in a "philosophical experiment, necessarily performed in the dark." Stella had asserted that a certain sexual position could only be performed in the dark and asserted that "in simple equity," she was entitled to prove her assertions. "So Jurgen proceeded to deal fairly with her," i.e. peformed the sex act with her. It is when he leaves the kingdome of Guenevere's father and goesto live with Anaitis that the book gets really good. Jurgen also goes to live on the outskirts of the kingdom of Pseudopolis, getting married to a tree dweller and livining in a tree. He invades the home of Queen Helen of Troy in Pseudopolis and observes her sleeping. He goes to Hell and gets married to a female vampire and has an affair with Satan's wife.

The prose in this book is really quite beautiful.

A strong theme of this book is how reality is so covered up by our illusions about ourselves. We think that there is a God or a Devil that watches our every move, looking for virtue or sin. We think we are that important even though we are a tiny speck in the universe. Another theme relates to Jurgen never being able to find happiness, despite the sorceress granting him the privillege of living out all his longstanding dreams of being a king and nobleman and husband of some of the most beautiful women on earth. He discovers at the end of the story that he prefers to go back where he was before the sorceress granted him all his illusions.

I found it a somewhat difficult book. Particulary in the beginning of the book, Jurgen jumps from situation to situation without a certain logic that would make it easy for the reader to understand. Of course, the book is a fable and fables are not meant to be logical. The characters speak their dialogue in very beautiful language, though sometimes the meaning of the sentences are opaque.

However, I think it is easy to understand the book, if you just keep reading, you can understand everything eventually if you don't worry.

Cabell also constructs a phony introduction to the book written by some make believe bookish verbose academic or book reviewer. He also places some unintelliglbe blurbs after the title page, written by imaginary verbose, bookish book reviewer critics. This was all pretty funny.

All of JBC's books are interesting, this is among his best. Many modern readers may find his writing style unfamiar: it has quality and beauty. The themes are universal, and the sheer gnosis that the author displays is impressive. Cabell writes about the human condition, and even though we pride ourselves, in this day and age, of a certain level of cynicism, we cannot match the sardonic tone he displays, nor the depth to which his sword pierces. Much has been written regarding the Jurgen/Aleister Crowley connection, but I feel this book may indicate that Cabell really did have some practical experience with ceremonial magick after all.

If you like this book, read "Something About Eve" which, I think, is actually better.

Perhaps the finest fantasy ever written by an american writer. It will change your life every time you read it. Cabell was brilliant and Heinlein copied him more than once (compare Job: A Comedy of Justice). Cabell was sexy, ironic, consistant. Even Asimov, in his final works attempted to equal the History of Dom Manuel by combining the Robots and Foundation into a single cosmology.

Jurgen, after a word in defense of the Devil, finds himself upon a Pilgrims' Progress through the world. Sardonic, cynical and droll, this tale of Jurgen's journey finds him promoted at each step of the way, through King to Emperor.

The highlight of his journey is a sojurn in "the Hell of Our Fathers" where the resident devils are kept exhausted trying to mete out punishments which satisfy their "victims" as being proportionate to their sins. That the devils find the sins rather petty seems to mollify the proud parents not at all.

This is a book to read and re-read. Cabell's comments upon human foibles should please and amuse

In 1919, JURGEN, A Comedy of Justice was published by the Robert M. McBride Co. One of its readers, Mr. Walter J. Kingsley, was offended by the book and sent a critical letter about it to the literary editor of a New York newspaper. He wrote: "James Branch Cabell is making a clean getaway with JURGEN, quite the naughtiest book since George (A.) Moore began ogling maid-servants in Mayo (Ireland). How come? Dreiser had the law after him for THE GENIUS and HAGER REVELLY came close to landing Daniel Carson Goodman in Leavenworth, yet these volumes are innocent compared with JURGEN, which deftly and knowingly treats in thinly veiled episodes of all the perversities, abnormalities, and damn-foolishness of sex. There is an undercurrent of extreme sensuality throughout the book, and once the trick of transposing the key is mastered one can dip into this tepid stream on every page. . . . It is curious how the non-reading public discovered JURGEN. A few days after it appeared on the newsstands a male vampire of the films who once bought Stevenson's UNDERWOODS in the belief that it was a book of verses hymning a typewriter, began saying up and down Broadway: 'Say, kid, get a book called JURGEN. It gets away with murder.' This sold the first edition quickly. . . ."

A copy of Kingsley letter found its way to the office of The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. John Saxton Sumner, its secretary, purchased a copy of the book, read it, was morally outraged and on January 14, 1920, "armed with a warrant, entered the offices of the publishers, seized the plates and all copies of the book and summoned the publishers to appear in court . . . on a charge of violating Section 1141 of the Penal Code."

The trial began on October 15, 1922 and after a three day trial, the book was judged a work "of unusual literary merit and the case was dismissed. In January 1923, JURGEN AND THE LAW in an edition of 1080 numbered copies, was published. This work detailed the events leading up to the prosecution of the book and reported the main points of the trial.

In a letter to Mary Kennedy dated 12 Dec 1920, Deems Taylor wrote: "I have finished Jurgen: a great and beautiful book, and the saddest book I ever read. I don't know why exactly. The book hurts me--tears me to small pieces--but somehow it sets me free. It says the word that I've been trying to pronounce for so long. It tells me everything I am, and have been, and may be unsparingly . . . I don't know why I cry over it so much. It's too--something-or-other--to stand. I've been sitting here tonight, reading it aloud, with tears streaming down my face . . ."

Walter Damrosh of the New York Symphony Orchestra commissioned Deems Taylor to compose, "Jurgen, a Symphonic Poem for Orchestra, Opus 17." It was first performed in Carnegie Hall on 18 Novemver 1925. After 1945, it disappeared from the repertories. In 1999, Michael Keith, a Cabell enthusiast, secured the original score for the Jurgen Symphony and recorded it on a CD. He performed one version on a Synthetic orchestra and another on a MIDI piano. Keith lists the CD for sale on his website devoted to the work of James Branch Cabell.