A Case of Curiosities: A NovelThis tale of an ambitious inventor in France as the Revolution looms is “brilliantly playful . . . full of lore and lewdness” (Chicago Tribune). “A portrait of a young mechanical genius in 18th-century France, delivered along with a gallimaufry of odd and intriguing facts and a rich, lusty picture of society in that time and place.” —Publishers Weekly In France, on the eve of the Revolution, a young man named Claude Page sets out to become the most ingenious and daring inventor of his time. Over the course of a career filled with violence and passion, Claude learns the arts of enameling and watchmaking from an irascible, defrocked abbé, then apprentices himself to a pornographic bookseller and applies his erotic erudition to the seduction of the wife of an impotent wigmaker. But it is Claude’s greatest device—a talking mechanical head—that both crowns his career and leads to an execution as tragic as that of Marie Antoinette, and far more bizarre. “Like a joint effort by Henry Fielding and John Barth” (Chicago Tribune), this “captivating novel” (San Francisco Chronicle) marked the debut of one of the finest literary artists of our time. “A Case of Curiosities . . . really is brilliant. Also witty, learned, ingenious, sly, and bawdy.” —Entertainment Weekly “What John Fowles did for the 19th century with The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Umberto Eco did for the 14th with The Name of the Rose . . . Kurzweil now does for the late 18th century.” —San Francisco Chronicle |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 37
Page
... wish to remain silent. Like many valley folk, she was susceptible to that most gnomic form of folk literature, the aphorism. At last she said, "Take care of the plow blade, and the plow blade will take care of you." This bid for ...
... wish to remain silent. Like many valley folk, she was susceptible to that most gnomic form of folk literature, the aphorism. At last she said, "Take care of the plow blade, and the plow blade will take care of you." This bid for ...
Page
... wish to see him next session day." Claude lost a finger that night but acquired something much more valuable: a patron and a mentor. Amputation had brought about attachment. The patient did very little during the days that followed ...
... wish to see him next session day." Claude lost a finger that night but acquired something much more valuable: a patron and a mentor. Amputation had brought about attachment. The patient did very little during the days that followed ...
Page
... wish, as one of those favored first viziers who populate the Oriental anecdotes I know you so enjoy. See yourself as ... wish?" The Abbe frowned. "No. The laws of Muhammedan anecdote prohibit granting a single wish. Surely, your father ...
... wish, as one of those favored first viziers who populate the Oriental anecdotes I know you so enjoy. See yourself as ... wish?" The Abbe frowned. "No. The laws of Muhammedan anecdote prohibit granting a single wish. Surely, your father ...
Page
... wish to remind you of your pain." Claude was prepared for remarks, inadvertent and otherwise, that invoked his deformity. By the time he came to stay at the mansion house, he had committed the story of the amputation to memory. He told ...
... wish to remind you of your pain." Claude was prepared for remarks, inadvertent and otherwise, that invoked his deformity. By the time he came to stay at the mansion house, he had committed the story of the amputation to memory. He told ...
Page
... wish you to venture is behind these ancient chapel doors. It is my inner sanctum, or, to use the language of conchology, my chamber of conception." His finger gyred in ever-widening rings. "Rumor will ascribe all manner of activity to ...
... wish you to venture is behind these ancient chapel doors. It is my inner sanctum, or, to use the language of conchology, my chamber of conception." His finger gyred in ever-widening rings. "Rumor will ascribe all manner of activity to ...
Contents
III The Morel
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IIII The Lay Figure
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V The Pearl
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VI The Linnet
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VII The Watch
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VIII The Bell
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IX The Button
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X The Empty Compartment
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Back Matter | |
Back Cover | |
Spine | |
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Common terms and phrases
Abbe Abbe's Agnes Alexandra allowed apprentice barn owl bookseller called Catherine chapel church Claude asked Claude looked Claude nodded Claude pointed Claude's coach coachman copybook cornopard Count door enameling entered Etiennette Everard eyes Fidelite filled finger flywhisk garret Globe guerite hand harpsichord head Henri hope Hours inspected Kleinhoff knew La Chaux-de-Fonds Laurent Robert learned litde Livre Livre's Lucien Livre Lucille Madame Dubois Madame Hugon mansion house Marguerite Marie-Louise matter meal mechanical mother moved never night nose note-roll observed once painting Paris patrons pearls pears piece Piero Plumeaux pulled reached Red Dog returned revealed sister sketch slighdy smile soon sound Staemphli stared stopped surgeon talents Talking Head Talking Turk tell thought tion told Claude took Tournay tried turned Vengeful Widow watch watchmaker week wet nurse window wine wish woman young