# XI: How There Was a Light in the Fog explained — The Cream of the Jest

> Chapter companion for The Cream of the Jest by James Branch Cabell.

## What happens

Kennaston dreams of meeting Ettarre in a fog, where they discuss the nature of dreams, the sigil of Scoteia, and the influence of a portrait of Beatricê Cenci. He wakes at his writing-table, reflecting on how dreams draw from forgotten memories.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dream vs. Reality

Kennaston is aware he is dreaming and discusses the boundaries between dream and waking life.

### Art and Illusion

The portrait of Beatricê Cenci is described as having a malevolent magical influence, blurring art and reality.

### The Power of Storytelling

The shared dream and the sigil of Scoteia suggest a narrative force connecting Kennaston and Ettarre.

## Character check-ins

### Felix Kennaston

Protagonist who dreams of meeting Ettarre and reflects on the sigil and Beatricê Cenci.

### La Beale Ettarre

Appears in Kennaston's dream, discussing dreams and the sigil of Scoteia.

### Horvendile

Ettarre calls Kennaston 'Horvendile' in the dream, though the name means nothing to her.

### Beatricê Cenci

Referenced as the subject of a portrait that haunted Kennaston's childhood dreams.

### Muriel Allardyce

Mentioned as someone Kennaston had previously spoken to about Beatricê Cenci.

## Key lines

> Things happen so in dreams. I know perfectly well I am dreaming, as I have very often known before this that I was dreaming.

Kennaston acknowledges his lucid dreaming state, noting that he is aware of the dream's unreality.

_Highlights the theme of dream vs. reality._

> No, I am real, Horvendile—but it is I who am dreaming you.

Ettarre claims she is real and that she is the one dreaming Kennaston.

_Reverses the typical dreamer-dreamed relationship, emphasizing mutual illusion._

> Yes, it is on account of the sigil of Scoteia. I have the other half, you know.

Ettarre reveals that the shared dream is connected to the sigil, which she also possesses half of.

_Links the sigil to the dream encounter, advancing the plot._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se/chapters/xi-how-there-was-a-light-in-the-fog
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se/chapters