A Confederacy of Dunces in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 30, 2007 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pulitzer, recommend-to-friends, 1001-must-read, oh-my-nola, owned, humor, american-as-apple-pie, book-club-rg

Dear Reader,

Fortuna evidently was smiling upon my being when I endeavored to undertake the consumption of this philosophical masterpiece. How amusing to stumble upon a comic homage to Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, an homage that not only mirrors its source of inspiration in both content and structure, but moreover employs said source as a plot device of the most humorous kind. Certainly it was no mere accident; indeed it must have been a result of afflatus imparted by the goddess herself Dear Reader,

Fortuna evidently was smiling upon my being when I endeavored to undertake the consumption of this philosophical masterpiece. How amusing to stumble upon a comic homage to Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, an homage that not only mirrors its source of inspiration in both content and structure, but moreover employs said source as a plot device of the most humorous kind. Certainly it was no mere accident; indeed it must have been a result of afflatus imparted by the goddess herself in collaboration with the muses Thalia and Calliope. Oh, what genius has the world lost with the tragic demise of John Kennedy Toole?

Through his quixotic anti-hero, Ignatius J. Reilly, Toole is disposed to explore the ideas of predestination and game theory. Is Rielly a misunderstood genius, surrounded by intellectual inferiors and thus a victim of their nescience? Or is it his own distorted reality, paranoid delusions, and ineptitude that is the impetus of his misfortune? It is for you, dear reader, to decide.

I found the descriptions of New Orleans particularly diverting. Such a cast of eccentric and delightful characters could only be found within the borders of the Crescent City (or Stars Hollow). Like Proust's madeleine, the wonderful references to NOLA summoned to my mind memories of a happier, pre-Katrina time in one of my favorite municipalities.

I must say that the numerous references to various and sundry bodily emissions offended my delicate feminine sensibilities somewhat. Perhaps this was the plan of some devious alpha-male, to thus corrupt the otherwise sheltered and virginal innocence of my mentality. As Ignatius said, "This subject deserves the attention of a profound thinker who has a certain perspective on the world's cultural development."

(If any perceptive film producers are interested in buying the movie rights to this Review, I might here make a note about the filming of this critique. A song performed by The Preservation Hall Jazz Band would provide excellent background accompaniment. Perhaps the actress playing your humble reviewer could be seated at a table at the Cafe du Monde, enjoying a cafe au lait and plate of beignets.) ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 1001-bymrbyd, humour, suicidal_authors

This was a story in which none of the characters have anything particularly good or noble about them, but no one is particularly evil, either. Toole introduces, as the anti-hero in his first book, a chap by name of Ignatius. Most of us know at least one chap who has some of Ignatius' personal traits and habits: a bloated gasbag with an eating disorder, poor personal hygiene, an inability to hold a job and no desire to move out of his parents' house. He has attended college for 10 years and has a ...more

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Aug 03, 2007 Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audiobooks, favorites, american-lit, modern-fiction, humor-whimsy, satire

Sometimes I wonder if I would have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed listening to it. On the whole, I suspect not. My husband and I listened to this audiobook on a long road trip down I-95 and back, and it kept us thoroughly entertained. The reader did a marvelous job of personifying the eccentric Ignatius J. Reilly, one of the great characters of literature, a modern-day Quixote. This is a sprawling book, full of subplots and striking characters -- almost Dickensian in scope. It re ...more

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Apr 19, 2014 Tony rated it it was ok

Shelves: novels

This is one of those great American novels I've known the title of for 20+ years, but never known anything about other than it won the Pulitzer, and some people love it, and it's supposed to be funny. I had no idea of the whole strange backstory of its author and route to publication (which is apparently well detailed in Butterfly in the Typewriter.) When looking for a new audiobook to listen to, I thought I'd give it a whirl to see what the fuss is about.

About the best thing I can say about it ...more

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