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Pierre-Alexis Ponson du Terrail was one of the two leading exponents of the roman feuilleton--serial fiction published in newspapers--active during the French Second Empire, along with Paul Féval. At his peak Ponson was writing five daily serials simultaneously, making them up as he went along--and he really did write them, unlike many feuilletonists, including Féval, who dictated to an amanuensis. The Chambrion and Other Stories collects four of his shorter tales, including a Christmas fantasy; a deal-with-the-devil story; one of his earliest serials, which illustrates his willingness to change the direction of his stories repeatedly; and the title short novel, a fast-paced and convoluted tale of vengeance revolving around the belated revelation of the truth behind a scandalous double murder. Ponson was one of the writers who pioneered the narrative techniques of popular fiction, and these stories illustrate his zestful discovery and primary exploitation of those techniques. CONTENTS: Published by The Borgo Press in January 2013 |
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