A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)

Too strange to be good, with a feeling that the oddity is draped consciously over the whole thing in an attempt to be seen as odd. A first and last novel, as the author committed suicide!

I checked www.imdb.com to see if a movie version had been attempted of the story, and breathed a sigh of relief that it had not. Supposedly the book is a formative influence in Jimmy Buffet's songs, although I'm not sure I see how.

Most folks it seems abhor reading with a near violent, reflexive revulsion. Almost as if the mere suggestion would cause a spontaneous eruption of projectile vomiting directed forthwith at the unfortunate proposer. People just hate to read. But this is a book that could inspire a change of heart in even the most hard-core anti-literate. It's a cliché you've heard a million times before (with a strong contempt for empty superlatives it's not something very likely to arise from this source again), but Confederacy of Dunces was a genuine pleasure to read.

Anybody who can't understand why this book has such a strong and enduring popularity probably didn't like the Seinfeld show. Two guys created Seinfeld, Jerry and Larry David, the latter arguably providing the majority creative input. This book has a tremendous deal in common with both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, so much so it's safe to call it a dirty precursor to both. The absurdist humor derived from the ridiculousness so commonplace in the mundane every-day takes a very particular perspective to appreciate, and reframe in a comedic fashion. As testament to the success of both this book, and those shows witness the massive commercial and critical success of both. If you happen to find yourself in the small minority who doesn't appreciate this type of humor, then you won't enjoy this book.

The understated subtlety of this work belies a masterfully sophisticated writing style and truly original story. In addition to being hilarious, this book is a celebration of a powerfully individualistic personality (and of individualism itself), and though they are rebuffed as deviants by the collective, it's a reminder of how important authentic iconoclasts are in our increasingly conformist society.

After hearing about this book for almost half my life, I was excited to find the audio book version at my local library. This is my review of the audio book version.

The voice actor does a good job of differentiating the characters, making it fairly easy to follow the story and understand who's talking. The book is populated with a myriad of colorful characters, most of whom are reduced to fairly exagerrated caricatures by the author. While entertaining in the early going, some of them begin to grate on you after a while.

The dialogue is as colorful as the characters, with a lot of vernacular that is specific to a certain era in New Orleans. While this grabs your interest and pulls you into the story, I found that the cartoonishness of the characters and their over-the-top dialogue started to lose its appeal by the halfway point. Towards the end, I had grown weary of the entire cast and couldn't wait for the long-awaited (and woefully unsatisfying) end to come.

The main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, is a self-centered buffoon who clearly has some emotional and/or mental problems. I imagine that Reilly is the alter-ego of the author (John Kennedy Toole), who had his own emotional/mental problems (and ultimately committed suicide before this book was ever published). There are many parallels between the author and his creation, so the conclusion is easy to draw.

While Toole does have a certain way with words and his vivid descriptions are often admirable, he clearly lacks any sense of how to effectively plot a story. Instead, he rambles along in an almost stream-of-consciousness fashion, blissfully unaware that flowery dialogue and off-beat characters do not a story make.

What I find most distressing is that this book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Had the book not gotten published through such a dramatic series of circumstances I highly doubt it would have won any literary prize, let alone a Pulitzer. The competition must have been very weak that year indeed.

It's particularly telling that when the author originally attempted to get this book published, the publisher ultimately turned it down because "it's not really about anything." And frankly, they were right.

While I did find the book humorous in several places, even laugh-out-loud funny at times, I must admit that overall I was fairly disappointed. The book simply did not live up to my expectations (and no, my expectations were not unusually high). However, I do tend to enjoy stories with a plot that actually go somewhere and have a point that makes it worth my while. This book is like cotton candy: you may think it's tasty and sweet while you're eating it, but ultimately it never fills you up no matter how much of it you indulge in. In the end, it just leaves you even hungrier than you were when you started. Substantial it is not.

If you enjoy extremely offbeat stories full of surreal characters spouting pompous dialogue as they stumble their way aimlessly through farcical circumstances, then this book is right up your alley. Just don't look for a plot, because you won't find one here.

I have read this book over the years 3 times. It is funny beyond belief. It does really help if you have been to New Orleans and seen the sights and heard the accents. This one will have you laughing out loud (unless you lack a sense of humor). It is too bad that that author commited suicide, John Kennedy Toole could have contributed so much more to society.

"Confederacy" is among the most original and entertaining novels I have ever read. There is much that makes "Confederacy" unique: a wonderfully tight, complex yet `ripping` plot; phenomenal characters brilliantly portrayed; an unforgettable protagonist; and, crucially, a tremendous sense of humor. It was a complete surprise to me: I picked it up without knowing anything either about the novel or its (tragic)author. I was left with a memorable read and a sense of loss of a great talent.

One additional comment. I highly recommend also avoiding this Evergreen paperback edition. The material of the cover is very pretty and has a nice feel, but its also impossible to read the book without the cover getting completely bent over. Serious readers will find the US$ 8 dollars extra for the hardback edition available on Amazon a very worthwhile investment, particularly for such a timeless novel