September / Comic Novel Reading: A Confederacy of Dunces

[Scheherazade]

In September we will be reading A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole:

'When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him' - Jonathan Swift. A monument to sloth, rant and contempt, a behemoth of fat, flatulence and furious suspicion of anything modern - this is Ignatius J. Reilly of New Orleans, noble crusader against a world of dunces. In magnificent revolt against the twentieth century, Ignatius propels his monstrous bulk amongst the flesh-pots of a fallen city, documenting life on his Big Cief tablets as he goes - until his maroon-haired mother decrees that he must work.

http://www.amazon.com/Confederacy-Du...1762881&sr=8-4

Please post your comments and questions in this thread.

[ktm5124]

Wonderful, wonderful. I read it a while ago in high school but I look forward to re-reading it. =)

[NickAdams]

My wife decided to read this last week so she has my only copy.

[Scheherazade]

My wife decided to read this last week so she has my only copy.

Maybe she can join the Forum to discuss the book with us.



I will start this one tonight hopefully.

[Dark Muse]

I have recently started reading this book, and so far, I am most intrigued and captivated by it. I have always had an off-beat sense of humur, and this book has many of the elements that are present within the comdies that I most tend to enjoy.

[Scheherazade]

Have read the first chapter and it is an excellent start! Enjoying the dialogues very much:

"You left your hat in the bar."

"Oh, I sold it to that young man."

"You sold it? Why? Did you ask me whether I wanted it to be sold? I was very attached to that hat."

"I'm sorry, Ignatius. I didn't know you liked it so much. You never said nothing about it."

"I had an unspoken attachment to it. It was a contact with my childhood, a link with the past."

"But he gave me fifteen dollars, Ignatius."

"Please. Don't talk about it anymore. The whole business is sacrilegious. Goodness knows what degenerate uses he will find for that hat. Do you have the fifteen dollars on you?"

"I still got seven left."

"Then why don't we stop and eat something?"

Brilliant! "Unspoken attachment" really got me laughing out loud.

And Ignatius reminds me someone I used to know... I can imagine them being like this when they were younger!

[Dark Muse]

Ignatius is quite the character.

For some reason I just loved this:

Jones blew out a cumulus formation

So far I think Jones might be my favorite character, there is something I find rather appealing about him and his sunglasses.

[Dark Muse]

I was unfamialir with the term B-Girl, so I looked it up.

For anyone else who might have been currious, here is the definition I found:

a woman employed by a bar to act as a companion to men customers

A woman employed to talk to customers in a bar and encourage them to buy drinks

A Prostitute working out of a bar

[lugdunum]

I read part one last night and I'm finding the book really funny for now

My favorite part was when Ms. Reilly tries to get the car out of the parking place....: Big Ignatius sitting in the back of the car

slumped down in the seat so that just the top of his hunting cap appeared in the window, looking like the tip of a promising watermelon

yelling at his mother

Are you sure that you're even turning the wheel the right way?

I also enjoyed the part with the hat :"Please. Don't talk about it anymore. The whole business is sacrilegious". Taking everything out of proportion seems to be one of Ignatius' traits.

The thing about these two characters is that you can't help feeling embarrassed for them.... making a fool of themselves in the bar and after so many hours sitting there not taking the hints of the bartender that they weren't welcome say

we know when we not wanted

and the story about the bus ride to Baton Rouge (told four times by Ignatius whilst in the bar) goes to prove that their whole life is like that. Especially that of Ignatius because his mother looks a bit less "idiot" than her son and would probably be better off without him.

About the policemen.... what was sending patrolman Caruso on the streets wearing ballet tights and a yellow sweater about??!... Funny sight though ...!

Has this book been made into a movie? Because so far it certainly looks as though it could...

[Dark Muse]

Oh I loved Caruso and all of his funny costumes which he had to wear each day.

Reading this book though I personally cannot help but to think of South Park, Ignatius is like a grown up Cartman. Big fat kid who is always demanding attention and constantly whining about everything, not really understanding that no one acutally likes him, with his mother that is his constant inabler.

I absolutely love the scenes in the office of Levy Pants. Those are just hysterical.

[lugdunum]

I absolutely love the scenes in the office of Levy Pants. Those are just hysterical.

Can't wait to get to those

I read the beginning of part Two over lunch and had a good laughwhen I read the part when Ignatius writes on his "Big Chief Tablet" about his character Piers' fate:

And a vicious fate it was to be: now he was faced with the perversion of having to GO TO WORK

(p30; Red Penguin)....

the perversion of having to go to work.....

[Dark Muse]

One thing I have noticed about this book is that it seems to be one of those that some people just love, and others absolutely hate. I have been looking through some reviews made of the book and I know one person said they felt that the book glorified whining.

A part of me feels that people of that opinion are in fact taking the book too seriously and perhaps missing the ironic humor behind it. I have read more than one complaint regarding Ignatius as the so called hero of the story, but as I read the book I cannot help but wonder is he truly the hero or is in fact the joke on him?

While I read, I find myself asking, is Ignatius really the genius who is having to contend with the dunces that seek to plot against him, or is it in fact that Ignatius himself is a dunce unable to see the truth for what it is?

[joebob]

i listened to the audiobook of this while back; goooood stuuuuuuff

[lugdunum]

While I read, I find myself asking, is Ignatius really the genius who is having to contend with the dunces that seek to plot against him, or is it in fact that Ignatius himself is a dunce unable to see the truth for what it is?

For now I feel that maybe the Confederacy of Dunces is what Ignatius feels that he is surrounded by.... Because he seems to be looking at the people around him condescendingly and constantly feels like he is the genious who will be discovered as soon as he finishes his book.... but then again I'm only at the beginning of the book so it might change later on...

[Dark Muse]

For now I feel that maybe the Confederacy of Dunces is what Ignatius feels that he is surrounded by.... Because he seems to be looking at the people around him condescendingly and constantly feels like he is the genious who will be discovered as soon as he finishes his book.... but then again I'm only at the beginning of the book so it might change later on...

Yes, that is what Ignatius feels, but I question, is that truly what the author intends? Are you meant to take Ignatius at face value in his belief in this? And view him as the true hero of the story?

Or is the author pulling the wool of Ignatius' eyes to to speak, and is the joke truly on him? Are we suppose to sympathize with his plight? Or laugh behind his back at his foolish notion of himself?