A Confederacy of Dunces

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This novel was prophetic in many ways. Its antihero, Igantius Reilly, has been educated with useless subjects to the degree that he is unfit to hold a job or any place in the real world. I have heard he is the basis for the Comic Shop Owner on The Simpsons. He has the extended adolescence and taken-for-granted reliance on his parent that is now commonplace. His remarked-upon obesity would probably be unremarkable today. He pioneered the concept of hate-watching 50 years before it was cool. His righteous indignation would be right at home on any internet message board, tea party meeting, gaming forum, etc. He would wake up to Fox News or MSNBC just to get himself righteously ticked off to fuel his day. His opinions are also completely wrong and hypocritical, but that does not diminish his passion for expressing them. I have always liked a picaresque novel with a strong narrative voice, and wordplay and verbal humor. This book has all of that. It has the Larry David view of good intentions gone wrong and social customs examined as the useless, hollow conventions they are. The book is divisive given that Ignatius is neither likable, nor good looking, and typically one has to be one or the other. Or have some tragic backstory that makes him sympathetic. It presents stereotypes, but traps the characters who believe in them. So the stereotypes become sympathetic, not ugly caricatures. Apart from being funny and astutely modern, the city of New Orleans is wonderfully rendered, the dialogue is fantastic, and the romance of Ignatius and his beatnik girlfriend actually leaves more to be desired and imagined. I understand why some people would not like the book; they include my own Mother. But I'd say the fault lies with it not being to everyone's taste, rather than any particular fault with the book itself.

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A joyful and sad experience reading this book: Joy in the author, John Kennedy Toole, and his use of wonderful descriptions of the characters (as an example:"Her brown wedgies squeaked with discount price defiance as she walked...along the broken brick sidewalk."), love for New Orleans and its characters, and joy and pride in his environment. Sad experience, in the knowledge that this book was not printed until after Toole's suicide, and went on to win a Pulitzer. This is a book of rare experiences, characters and writing. When Toole's mother submitted the badly-copied manuscript to Walker Percy, his first reaction was that nothing could be so good! We are lucky that Percy saw this magnificent work for what it is.

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Do not read this book where unplanned, snot-producing laughter might be considered inappropriate. For instance, your desk at work. Ignatius J. Reilly is one of the most eccentric protagonists you will ever encounter, prone to pontificating in his Big Chief writing tablet, obsessing over his pyloric valve, which is sensitive to all manner of stimuli and can snap shut with little provocation, and seeking employment in a shirt factory and as a weenie vendor to help pay for his mother's car crash after one too many beers at the "Night of Joy" strip club. The characters are brought to life in hilarious detail, seemingly unrelated to each other at the story's start, but spinning ever-closer to each other until their worlds inevitably collide. I read this in preparation for my first trip to New Orleans, where the store is set. I look forward to standing next to the statue of Ignatius on Canal Street, outside the old DH Holmes department store this September. That is, assuming Fortuna does not give life's wheel an unexpected downward turn and thwart my plan.

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The truest book on twentieth century New Orleans ever written, down to the nuance. "It's funny because It's true."

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This wonderful and quintessential novel of New Orleans may be the funniest book ever written! You will need to laugh out loud, so do not try to read it in a library.

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The blind leading the blind through New Orleans! Sad, but true wrapped in a comical series of events.

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I cannot believe that I have lived in Louisiana my entire life and am just now reading this book at age 31. I have always avoided it, thinking it was a stuffy commentary on Louisiana politics- how wrong I was!! It is a hilarious story, truly full of both insight and absurd moments that will make you laugh like a lunatic. I see these characters every day of my life, and Toole's rendering of New Orleans culture is spot-on for both the time of the story and today. This book is as close to literary perfection as I've ever seen.

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What a book, what a masterpiece! A comedy, the likes of which I've never read, with characters so unbelievable real I had to occasional take breaks from reading it. The prose surprised me again and again with such beauty, wit and genius. From the first page, I was held in thrall to Toole's talent: "Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black mustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs." The everyday mundane, sometimes disgusting, bits of the lives of these people combined with Toole's writing is just incredible. It makes for such an unforgettable experience. Toole has his some of characters talk his local dialect, which in many books, is so confusing, so difficult to read or to decipher. He makes it work. No, not work, he makes it seamless, perfect, brilliant. I'm not reading their words--I can hear them talking. It's beautiful. The story centers around Ignatius J. Reilly, as does everything if he can make it, an overweight, over-educated, overly demanding man living with his Mamma, holed up in his bedroom, drinking Dr. Nut and scribbling about Medieval history and the problems of today. This has gone on for many years, and would continue for many more except for a family emergency which pushes his Mamma to take the unusual step of standing up to Ignatius and telling him he must get a job. His world is shaken, he is spiraling out of control, Fortuna has spun against him. And thus, with much GI troubles and vitriolic ranting and railing against peoples in general and particular, Ignatius goes out into the world for the second time since college. The omnipotent reader is privy to both the actual facts and often, Ignatius's more flattering description of events as he writes about it later, with the view of future publication, in a Big Chief tablet in his room. There were times I didn't laugh, though, but that was when I saw myself in this gargantuan idealistic slob, this over-educated moron trying to impose his world views on all around him. That's when, instead of laughing, I gave an inwardly embarrassed chuckle and moved on quickly. There's an underlying element of sadness to the novel, to me anyway. Is it knowing this is Toole's only novel and there'll be nothing else to read? Is it knowing that he committed suicide, and feeling that sadness seep into the pages? Or is it simply knowing that Ignatius is destined to bumble every attempt at every thing merely because Fortuna has it out for his overwhelming conceit? I think it's a mix of all three, and this melancholy tempers the outright hilarity, balancing it, making it even more thought-provoking. Other residents of New Orleans find their paths crossed with Ignatius, usually to their dismay, and always find their lives changed in some way as a result. The vagrant, the man afraid of the "comuniss", the girl wanting to be an exotic dancer, and many more. . . One reads about them again and again and wonders, how will they all come together? Trust Toole, he's a genius--the plot themes and characters come together like orchestral themes resulting in a crescendoing finale of stunning proportions, and then stream off again, a solo here, a duet there, until the final page. I was genuinely worried at some points, as to how the book would end, how Toole would leave Ignatius. Never fear, dear reader, as Ignatius himself might have said. It's a masterpiece through and through.

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This masterpiece is by far my favorite book. It does not matter what writing style or theme you prefer, this is a must read. My first copy was purchased at Powell's on Burnside. I read it twice then borrowed it out to an ex-girlfriend. Instead of making contact with her after we broke up to get it back I figured I'll do her a favor by letting her keep it. I bought my second copy in Minneapolis at a used bookstore, read it because of the "Dunces Jones" I was having, then lent it out to a friend on the condition that he would give it to someone else when he was done. I didn't care if I got it back as long as it was making the rounds and enlightening others to it's genius and word mastery. My third copy was purchased back in Portland while I was visiting family this last spring/summer. I read it that summer and refuse to let this copy go. I love being able to pick it up anytime and read a chapter or two. This is a smart and funny satire done so well that the powers that be awarded it's author the Pulitzer Prize posthumously. Every sentence makes me laugh in a way that is unique to A Confederacy of Dunces. Do yourself a favor and read it. If you want a sample then go to the smartest, funniest friend you have and borrow it. They will have it. If you strike out then buy a copy. You need a masterpiece in your library, right???

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I realize that the book was written years ago, however it is the best book I've read in the past 10 years. I'm not surprised that it hasn't been turned into a Hollywood spectacle, it's simply too good!

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It took me a while to read and finish this book, (6 days),not because of being a bad story, (which it isn't), but because I never wanted this book to end. The writing flowed brilliantly, each character painsakedly described uniquely, so I could distinguish each one by his mannerisms and way of speaking. It is amazingly written. The basic concept of this politically incorrect tale is about a large man who proclaims himself to be very smart, and he is surrounded by idiots. (Hence the title.) He seemed to be at least one step ahead of everyone else, as he lives his lousy life day by day. It says a lot about the writing and the author's abilities, when the reader wants to strangle the main character, one Ignatius Reilly, because of his irritating whining about everyone and everything. The way the manuscript was published is in itself an amazing story, and it is described in full in the foreward to this book. The bottom line -- "A Confederacy of Dunces" is a satisfying read, and it's no wonder it won the Pulitzer Prize for best in fiction in 1981. 5 stars

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I have purchase no less than 18 of these books and I have lent each of them out...and have never gotten any of them back..and that's okay. because I h'ain't read a better novel. So, let me buy you a copy...

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a jewel of American literature. This book is so good that while reading it, I thought, maybe this is the reason of my life, being alive to be able to read this piece of art. It is clever, hilarious, and Ignatius conveys all aspects of human kind. If I would have to chose just 1 book to re-read for the rest of my life, this would be the one!

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This book with it crazy case of characters is a surprising gem. The characters remind you of relatives or friend you might have, but would never publicly acknowledge. The book starts out slow but it's worth the time it takes to read. The ending comes together nicely and you realize why he took the time to make you familiar with all the characters. A perfect example of how every event whether good of bad fit together in the scheme of things. It a shame the author ended his life so soon. I would have liked to read more of Ignatius Reilly's life.

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This is my favorite book. It pulls you along as it plays and cavorts in your mind's eye. You have no choice but to continue to its end. Don't read it while your spouse tries to sleep next to you, because your laughter will keep them awake. I live in New Orleans area, and could never look at a hot dog cart quite the same after I read this book. Twelve inches of pleasure! Fabulous!!!

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WOW! So good on so many levels! So entertaining! WOW!

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This book is my life! If you're from new orleans you get it and if you're not, it's so fantastical that you'll want to visit. Ignatius is the perfect represntative of many New Orleanians: You must live at home well into your adulthood becuase the world doesn't get you. In fact the only person who does is your mother, but she's driving you mad. However, you can't leave home because the world doesn't get you, so you sit in your room and damn everyone to hell! Writing of their inadequacies, lunancy and stupidity. PERFECT! This book is perfect! I almost would hate to see it turned into a movie because if they don't do it justice, I can only say that I would be compelled to go to hollywood and beat someone's ass!!!!

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Confederacy of Dunces is "brain candy." I loved it from beginning to end. Having written a Graduate paper on it already, I am working on its textual history. I'm not sure you have to be from the South to fully appreciate this novel, but it helps. It's o.k. to read it just for fun, but there is a lot of content between the lines as well. It provides a view into the madness of the late 60's!

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If I could give this more stars, I would. One of the great works of American writing, a [kw]comic masterpiece[/kw]. [kw] Ignatius J. Reilly [/kw]is an oversized, outlandish, eccentric hero as he navigates various jobs in [kw]New Orleans[/kw]. It really is a love letter to the city, too. A beautifully crafted plot, outrageous characters, marvelous dialect, and wacky scenarios make this a novel that you can read more than once.

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One of the funniest books you will ever read, and I have read the classics, etc. I think someone has bought the movie rights but why not the movie? Jon Belushi or John Candy would have been great, but who else out there now could do Ignatius?