Name : A Confederacy of Dunces
Writer : John Kennedy Toole
Publishing year : 1980
Language : English
Type : Novel
Main themes : Classes, Education, Luck, Society, Genius..
Recommended for : Those who don't mind reading an odd story that doesn't really have a structure ..
The book in a few words : A one man quest against a world of corruption, stupidity and obedience.
The synopsis : Ignatus is a bright man. So bright, in fact, he can't find his place in society, or society finds a way to reject him whenever he tried to fit, or rectify it. Surrounded by a confederacy of dunces, our hero needs a plan to survive, and change the world.
The Rating : Excellent 9.25/10
The Review :
I haven't read enough books in my life to claim this to be unlike anything that you've read (I have actually discovered that it falls under the "Picaresque novel" category of which I've never heard before), but to me, these were completely new grounds.
I've been keeping up with the terrible habit of not taking notes while reading fantastic books which, in combination with my super memory, leads to the writing of lacking reviews. I'm doing this book a grand injustice by not going through it again (something that I intend to do one day, definitely) to recapture the glimpses of utter genius sprinkled throughout, but in the mean time, I'll just review the experience of reading A Confederacy of Dunces.
First things first, I have no idea how I ended up reading this book, no recollection of where I heard of it and why I decided to read it. Something about the title and the ugly cover made it as attractive as unhygienic, good-smelling fast food. The kind Ignatus chews with joy. I decided it would be the next read for my commute (only made possible by its lack of action in the plot). This book made me laugh out loud many times publicly in the bus, and I wasn't even ashamed.
Because when this book wears its funny hat, it's potently so, and I'm not even the kind to laugh while reading. This lovely work would have held its merit if only for its chuckle-inducing passages. However, this book should not be mistaken for a comedy, because beneath the blanket of twisted jokes and near-slapstick routines, lies an undeniable drama. John K. Toole makes fun of reality by molding a set of eccentric, larger-than-life but ultimately mundane characters (except for Ignatus), that don't really venture away from their beaten tracks (the drunk drunk and the black black and the gay gay and so on ..), yet still deliver a powerful satire to the many "dunces" the author wanted to portray.
But the genius of the oeuvre comes from the weaving of its elements, a whole far more superior than its shiny individual parts, each being one of Ignatus' adventures, and how it lands a new puzzle piece that ties the story together. It's strange how nothing goes to waste: every detail, every character mention, every apparently offhanded comment are used to paint the final picture : sometimes revealing, often times foreshadowing, and other times misleading. But the perfect setting and the studied interactions and the game of hide-and-seek makes this story unique in its storytelling : it literally unfold. I mean, literally. There is no other way to put this. You star with very little information : an unconventional introductions to the protagonist and his mother, a relationship already dipped in trouble. One very small detail leads to another, and every revelation links back to a previous detail or a prop that you didn't pay enough attention to when it was mention, but it's always entertaining when the reveals happen and you see how the different pieces fit in perfect, clockwork fashion. Some of the evolution is fairly predictable (especially once you get used to the world our characters live in, such as the inevitable fact that Ignatus will find a way to make things worse), but at no point of the tale you really know what's going to happen next, and once it happens, you can't see how things could have happened otherwise. It really is a meticulous work the weaves the fates of the unsuspecting cast with the threads of misfortune, coincidences and comedy.
The style of the narration takes on three tonalities : the fairly unflourished (yet amazingly perceptive) narration, the over-the-top, almost theatrical performances of Ignatus, and the New Orleans dialect used by the less educated members of the cast. This translates to three plans of existence the author presents : a neutral, intricate reality that sees things for what they are, a distorted, grotesque interpretation of this reality by the smart yet delusional Ignatus, and the trivial, mundane life of the careless crew.
As for the plot, it only evolves through mutation of state rather than evolution. Aside from Ignatus' mom, none of the wicked characters change their ways. Ignatus being the central star of this constellation of characters (a more fitting metaphor would be that of a black hole, sucking up life and joy from his surroundings), gets the most interesting case study, and is definitely one of the best characters I've ever got to meet in a book. Despite his otherworldly vision, his unique behavior and his bizarre conclusions, Ignatus is not a passive character, and more often than not, succeeds in seeing the wrong in the world and does his best to fix it (the irony is that he doesn't extend this critical analysis to himself). I found myself not disagreeing with him on many occasions (he makes some excellent points sometimes, but then proceeds to act upon his self-righteousness to always make the situation worse).
The rest of the cast is somewhat obviously stereotypical. The careless rich husband, the whiny trophy wife, the clueless old woman, the scheming femme fatale, the star-wannabe youngster, the racially-abused vagrant, the alcoholic widow, the sole rich man, the nymphomaniac activist, the flamboyant homosexual .. all act and talk in ways you'd imagine their respective stereotype would. But all of them get minor twists that make them interesting. The trophy wife is also a self-appointed psychologist, the careless heir is also a child living in the shadow of his father, the black vagrant is also the smartest character in the story, and so on. Every character is well-drawn and the kaleidoscope of faces and background is colorful and vibrant. What really makes them work is an air-tight plot line that succeeds to makes them all interact in unpredictable ways, driving to the story to its wonderful closing.
While I was skimmed through some reviews on Goodreads to see whether people were enjoying it as much as I did, I realized how polarizing this novel is. True, everything from the writing style to the deceivingly stereotypical characters to the lack of an obvious plot to the unlikable protagonist (not really !) doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. But it is a worthwhile read. Some of its passages are nothing short of genius.
This is a work that handles you a funny package that, once opened, reveals a deep insight about society, the invisible forces that rule it and the different coping mechanisms that everyone use to deal with it, and an odd, unique, subverted interpretation of the world that only a different mind can offer (this different mind offed itself after finishing the novel, which makes me really sad).
PS : Many central plot points and themes (the ones that make this novel brilliant, see "Themes" above) were not discussed in the review because (1) I am starting to write reviews minimal spoilers and (2) I should have taken notes. There are honestly too many subtle hints and jabs to be fully and respectfully enumerated in this short review. I'll leave the care of discovering them to the reader.
Favorite Character :
Ignatus, being the fully-fledged "punchline character". Ignatus honestly think that modernity would be the end of humanity. Everything in the world as he sees it is tainted with its filth, a perversion. The world needs to go a couple of decades, maybe centuries back, and the people needed lessons in "theology and geometry, some taste and decency". Ignatus is a rebellious character, frequently criticizing capitalism and aspects modern slavery, going as far as planning to start a racial revolution or plotting to "save the world through degeneracy". Ignatus is a creative person, writing so beautifully about his heroic acts with sincerity and just enough well-calibrated fact-omitting. He deeply longs to find like-minded people to change the world, volunteering to be their leader and master, if that is what it takes. He's aware, perceptive, critical, witty, funny, manipulative, intellectual, and ultimately paradoxical. Not being able to notice the huge holes in the fabric of his being ends being his fatal flaw (that, and his valve malfunctions). He constructed a reality that makes him a saint in a world of demons, a hero in a land of despair, a chaos in the rows of uniformity. He's all of that, but a caricature of that as well. Ignatus has a brilliant mind that fell into the trap of self-righteousness, self-indulgence and laziness, thus failing to see all of his shortcomings that makes others' lives around him a hell to endure.
Yet still, a masterfully written character.
Miss Trixie gets a shout-out for delivering the best lines/jokes of the novel. So silly-it's-funny, but I'm a taker.
Favorite Quotes :
Once again, I wasn't able to note down the best quotes of the novel (and there are many good lines, t-shirt worthy!), those are some of the ones I found online that I enjoyed reading again :
“I am an anachronism. People realize this and resent it.”
“Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person's lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one's soul.”
"You amaze me." The young man stared at Ignatus's outfit. "To think that they're letting you run around loose. In a way, I respect you."
"That fat freak a guarantee one hunner percen nucular bum. Shit. Drop him on somebody, everybody gettin caught in the fallout, getting their ass blowed up".
“Apparently I lack some particular perversion which today's employer is seeking. ”
“Over the years I have become very good at getting out of things I don’t want to do.”
“New Orleans is, on the other hand, a comfortable metropolis which has a certain apathy and stagnation which I find inoffensive.”
“I bet you cook good, huh?" Darlene asked.
"Mother doesn't cook," Ignatius said dogmatically. "She burns.”
“Is my paranoia getting completely out of hand, or are you mongoloids really talking about me?”
“You could tell by the way he talked, though, that he had gone to school a long time. That was probably what was wrong with him.” - Can a description get more potent that this ?
“Stop!' I cried imploringly to my god-like mind.”
“Between notes, he had contemplated means of destroying Myrna Minkoff but had reached no satisfactory conclusion. His most promising scheme had involved getting a book on munitions from the library, constructing a bomb, and mailing it in plain paper to Myrna. Then he remembered that his library card had been revoked.”
“I was getting tired about what the preacher called Christian. Anything he did was Christian, and the people in his church believed it, too. If he stole some book he didn't like from the library, or made the radio station play only part of the day on Sunday, or took somebody off to the state poor home, he called it Christian. I never had much religious training, and I never went to Sunday school because we didn't belong to the church when I was old enough to go, but I thought I knew what believing in Christ meant, and it wasn't half the things the preacher did.”
Ignatus, being the fully-fledged "punchline character". Ignatus honestly think that modernity would be the end of humanity. Everything in the world as he sees it is tainted with its filth, a perversion. The world needs to go a couple of decades, maybe centuries back, and the people needed lessons in "theology and geometry, some taste and decency". Ignatus is a rebellious character, frequently criticizing capitalism and aspects modern slavery, going as far as planning to start a racial revolution or plotting to "save the world through degeneracy". Ignatus is a creative person, writing so beautifully about his heroic acts with sincerity and just enough well-calibrated fact-omitting. He deeply longs to find like-minded people to change the world, volunteering to be their leader and master, if that is what it takes. He's aware, perceptive, critical, witty, funny, manipulative, intellectual, and ultimately paradoxical. Not being able to notice the huge holes in the fabric of his being ends being his fatal flaw (that, and his valve malfunctions). He constructed a reality that makes him a saint in a world of demons, a hero in a land of despair, a chaos in the rows of uniformity. He's all of that, but a caricature of that as well. Ignatus has a brilliant mind that fell into the trap of self-righteousness, self-indulgence and laziness, thus failing to see all of his shortcomings that makes others' lives around him a hell to endure.
Yet still, a masterfully written character.
Miss Trixie gets a shout-out for delivering the best lines/jokes of the novel. So silly-it's-funny, but I'm a taker.
Favorite Quotes :
Once again, I wasn't able to note down the best quotes of the novel (and there are many good lines, t-shirt worthy!), those are some of the ones I found online that I enjoyed reading again :
“Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person's lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one's soul.”
"You amaze me." The young man stared at Ignatus's outfit. "To think that they're letting you run around loose. In a way, I respect you."
"That fat freak a guarantee one hunner percen nucular bum. Shit. Drop him on somebody, everybody gettin caught in the fallout, getting their ass blowed up".
“Apparently I lack some particular perversion which today's employer is seeking. ”
“Over the years I have become very good at getting out of things I don’t want to do.”
“New Orleans is, on the other hand, a comfortable metropolis which has a certain apathy and stagnation which I find inoffensive.”
“I bet you cook good, huh?" Darlene asked.
"Mother doesn't cook," Ignatius said dogmatically. "She burns.”
“Is my paranoia getting completely out of hand, or are you mongoloids really talking about me?”
“You could tell by the way he talked, though, that he had gone to school a long time. That was probably what was wrong with him.” - Can a description get more potent that this ?
“Stop!' I cried imploringly to my god-like mind.”
“Between notes, he had contemplated means of destroying Myrna Minkoff but had reached no satisfactory conclusion. His most promising scheme had involved getting a book on munitions from the library, constructing a bomb, and mailing it in plain paper to Myrna. Then he remembered that his library card had been revoked.”
“I was getting tired about what the preacher called Christian. Anything he did was Christian, and the people in his church believed it, too. If he stole some book he didn't like from the library, or made the radio station play only part of the day on Sunday, or took somebody off to the state poor home, he called it Christian. I never had much religious training, and I never went to Sunday school because we didn't belong to the church when I was old enough to go, but I thought I knew what believing in Christ meant, and it wasn't half the things the preacher did.”
