Fantasy Cabell, James Branch: The High Place, LIT v1, 19 March 2010.

[Patricia]

James Branch Cabell [1879–1958]
The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment [1923]

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy says:
"In the sulphurous The High Place, the amoral hero Florian enters the sleeping-beauty story and (unlike Jurgen with Helen) does not draw back at the sight of excessive beauty. Complications ensue: Beauty is realistically diminished during pregnancy, the first-born child is forfeit to Satan under the pact that guaranteed Florian's success, and an irascible saint is eager to call down holy fire on transgressors. Florian treads close to damnation…"

Incidentally, there is a prize-winning essay by Stephen Wetta on “The High Place” here:
http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/specc...ll/wetta1.html

We should be grateful to Ralph Sir Edward, who found the text and did a great deal of the proof-reading.