# XIX: Local Laws of Nephelococcygia explained — The Cream of the Jest

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

## What happens

Kennaston's dreams are governed by consistent laws: Ettarre appears in each, time flows in real-time, no dream repeats, and he never occupies a historically prominent figure. He discovers that in these dreams he is a tall, red-haired young man, not his waking self. He reflects on the nature of his dreams and his relationship with Ettarre, questioning whether she is the heroine of his book or a timeless woman glimpsed by poets.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dream vs. Reality

Kennaston's dreams have their own consistent laws, contrasting sharply with his waking life, and he questions the nature of Ettarre's existence.

### The Power of Storytelling

Kennaston's book 'Men Who Loved Alison' seems to have prefigured his dream encounters, blurring the line between creation and experience.

### Love and Idealization

Ettarre is the constant object of Kennaston's desire, yet she remains untouchable, embodying an idealized love that transcends the dream.

## Character check-ins

### Felix Kennaston

The dreamer, who experiences consistent dream laws and discovers his dream appearance differs from his waking self.

### La Beale Ettarre

Present in every dream, she is the central figure of Kennaston's dreamworld, though she does not recall his book's events.

### Horvendile

Kennaston's dream identity, a tall lean youngster with red hair, who interacts with Ettarre in various historical settings.

### Sir Guiron des Rocques

Mentioned as a character from Kennaston's book who is unfamiliar to Ettarre in the dreams.

### Maugis d'Aigremont

Mentioned as a character from Kennaston's book who is unfamiliar to Ettarre in the dreams.

### Count Emmerick

Mentioned as a character from Kennaston's book who is unfamiliar to Ettarre in the dreams.

## Key lines

> There was no continuity in these dreams save that Ettarre was in each of them.

The only thread linking Kennaston's dreams is the presence of Ettarre.

_Establishes the central constant of the dream series._

> Ettarre seemed to remember nothing of the happenings Kennaston had invented in his book.

Ettarre has no recollection of the events from Kennaston's novel.

_Highlights the separation between Kennaston's literary creation and his dream reality._

> He never dreamed of absolutely barbaric or orderless epochs, nor of happenings (so far as he could ascertain) elsewhere than in Europe and about the Mediterranean coasts.

Kennaston's dreams are confined to civilized European and Mediterranean settings.

_Describes the geographical and cultural limits of his dreamworld._

> Thus it was he discovered that in these dreams he was a tall lean youngster, with ruddy cheeks, wide-set brown eyes, and a smallish head covered with crisp tight-curling dark-red hair.

Kennaston realizes his dream body is a young, red-haired man, unlike his waking self.

_Reveals the physical transformation Kennaston undergoes in his dreams._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cream_of_the_jest_se/chapters/xix-local-laws-of-nephelococcygia
- 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