Figures of Earth

This is the story of Dom Manuel, the swineherd whose legend anchors Cabell’s entire Poictesme cycle and who rises from the pig fields to become Count of a made-up medieval province. Prompted by a dead father’s charge to make himself a splendid figure in the world, Manuel schemes, betrays, and improvises his way upward, and Cabell never lets the reader forget how much of that greatness is pose. The book reworks fairy tale and hero myth into a sly comedy about ambition and the flattering stories men tell about themselves, guided throughout by the motto that the world wishes to be deceived. Available here as a free PDF and EPUB edition.