A Confederacy of Dunces
88. John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces
Ignatius J. Reilly is one of a kind. He’s a grown man living with his mother in a squalid little house on Constantinople Street in New Orleans. He dresses absurdly, ignores the conventions of personal hygiene, and is plagued by a misbehaving “valve.” He’s also paranoid and completely self-obsessed, spending the majority of his time going to movies and writing delusional narratives about life in the modern age. The book follows his adventures in the work force and his interactions with various colorful characters, including his mother, several disgruntled employers, a flamboyant group of homosexuals, a political activist from New York, and a pornography ring.
This book left me rather awed. The use of comedy in the narrative and characterization is absolutely outstanding. I enjoyed reading about all the characters in this novel - they’re all fully rounded and have their own unique voices. Ignatius constantly gets himself and everyone else into terrible (and terribly funny) situations, yet he remains completely oblivious to it all and sees himself as the victim. His written work is painfully hilarious, especially his remarkable plan for achieving world peace. However, I see the novel as fundamentally tragic - it definitely left me feeling sad for Ignatius, though the rest of the characters come to well-deserved and satisfying ends. Ultimately, while I appreciated the artistry of this book, I didn’t feel emotionally connected to it. In my opinion, it’s a book to admire but not to love.