This is Barth's most distinguished masterpiece. This modern classic is a hilarious tribute to all the most insidious human vices, with a hero who is "one of the most diverting...to roam the world since Candide" (Time ).
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Picaresque novel by John Barth, originally published in 1960 and revised in 1967. A parody of the historical novel, it is based on and takes its title from a satirical poem published in 1708 by Ebenezer Cooke, who is the protagonist of Barth's work. The novel's black humor is derived from its purposeful misuse of conventional literary devices. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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This is Barth's most distinguished masterpiece. This modern classic is a hilarious tribute to all the most insidious human vices, with a hero who is "one of the most diverting...to roam the world since Candide" (Time ).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
78 of 82 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you've read the book, then you know exactly what I'm talking about and are probably doubled over in laughter just at the mention of it . . . if you haven't, well there's just one more reason to start reading this. Widely considered Barth's best novel (I'm very much a novice with him, this being only my second book so I'm no man to judge) I can easily see why it deserves such a status. A parody of historical novels, Barth writes the story in the style of that time so it seems like all those books your teachers made you read in high school, but better. The book is massive and concerns the various adventures of would-be poet Ebenezer Cooke, writer of the poem "The Sot-Weed Factor" as he becomes involved, willingly or otherwise, in more situations than any man should reasonably have to undertake. An attempts to summarize the plot are useless, it's too sprawling, people who want instant gratification will be at a loss here, this is a book you have to absorb over the course of a few days and get used to the style before it sinks in just how much fun it is. The characters play everything seriously, making the jokes (and there are plenty, with the funniest of a vulgar nature and often involving the story of Captain John Smith of Pocohantus fame) come off as utterly hilarious, but at the same time Barth manages to make you care just a little bit about them, as quirky as they are, they still come across as typically flawed human beings. Probably the best thing about the book is its sheer unpredictability, not shackled by the morals of the 16th century, anything and everything does happen, nobody is what they seem and situations shift gears so rapidly that it'll make your head spin even as you can't stop laughing. A truimph on nearly every level, this is something a lesser writer would have only managed to turn into a stale stylistic genre exercise, something to wow the kids in the creative writing workshop . . . what Barth creates here is something lasting and no matter what century it was written in or evokes, will probably wind up being timeless.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This true American masterpiece is written like a 17th century literary novel. The style could well be Fielding, except that Barth is even more hilarious.At a time when minimalist novelists seem to be in vogue, I revelled in the intelligent richness of the elaborate quixotic tale woven by Barth. When a novelist can write as well as peers like Saul Bellow or V.S. Naipaul, then a maximalist style like Barth's is to be savoured. Poor chaste poet laureate, Ebenezer Cooke, encounters harsh reality at every turn, including capture by pirates and Indians. His dreams drive him to ridiculous ends where his ambitions are constantly confounded by greater existential powers. "The road to Heaven's beset with thistles, and methinks there's many a cowpat on't." The dialogue is delicious and well-constructed with an authenticity and wit and bawdy truth. You have to marvel at the construction of such credible characters as Joan Toast, Bertrand, Boabdil, Andrew, Pocahontas and the pirate captain. Barth's dialogue on various letters of the alphabet, the trading of ancient insults and the scene where Ebenezer fears drowning in Chesapeake Bay were uproariously funny. Barth obviously knows the Eastern Shore near the Choptank River intimately: it's a lovely setting for his novel. For any true lover of great American literary novels, The Sotweed Factor should be on your must-read list.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Perhaps most impressive of all of John Barth's picaresque classic is the fact that it succeeds on many levels. It is quite difficult to imagine anyone taking this novel completely seriously, however it can be read as an epic. Most likely it will be enjoyed as a brilliant satire providing most readers with innumerable passages that will have them laughing out loud. However one senses many philosophical statements and themes communicated through the characters' preposterous actions and attitudes. It was the characters, in fact, that impressed me the most about "The Sot-Weed Factor," while appearing at times ridiculous to the point of being hilarious, most readers will likely find a little bit of themselves in characters like Ebenezer Cooke, Henry Burlingame, etc. My favorite character was Ebenezer's servant whose name eludes me at this time. Barth has coined himself a "smiling nihilist" and this book is a fine example of this sentiment, though most readers will likely spend less time smiling and more time doubled over in laughter. A must-read!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Guaranteed to appeal to the adolescent mind.
I suppose I know too much about seventeenth century Virginia. But I guess Mr. Barth got his young male students to read it, anyway. Not my cup of tea.
Published 3 months ago by Eva Gregory
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is Classic American Style -- Marylandiad
Some books start slowly, and then speed up, and take you quickly through the ending. And, when the books are long, written in 17th century British English, full of dialogue of that... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Miami Bob
4.0 out of 5 stars
Maryland romp
This book is slow reading at first. One must adjust to 17th c. english but it is worth the effort. One roots for the protaganist and follow his exloits with enthusiasm.
Published on December 29, 2010 by Irish Cathy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful; a timeless classic
Over the first three months of 1955, American author John Barth wrote the first part of an intended trilogy of works -- his 'nihilistic comedy', "The Floating Opera". Read more
Published on December 22, 2010 by Steve Benner
2.0 out of 5 stars
To the Greater Glory of Barth
The Sot-Weed Factor is Barth's attempt to mockingly simulate the so-called picaresque novel of the 18th century. There are several problems with the book. Read more
Published on October 25, 2010 by Douglas S. Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sot-Weed Factor-John Barth
In my mind there's no doubt 'The Sot-Weed Factor' is a work of genius. It is a pseudo-historical novel which could be read as a straight historical novel. Read more
Published on November 1, 2009 by Ted Byrd
5.0 out of 5 stars
comic masterwork.
I've read a few of Barth's books and this one stands
out for sheer entertainment value and laughs. Read more
out for sheer entertainment value and laughs. Read more
Published on October 26, 2008 by Loren Woirhaye
1.0 out of 5 stars
Tiresome and self-indulgent
Barth surely had great fun writing this book, but it is far too long and self-indulgent with all sorts of behind-the-hand snickering at the author's tricks and wiles. Read more
Published on August 20, 2008 by Donald J. Richardson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A hilarious book
A hilarious book. One of the most absurdly funny books I've read. The challenge is the length and the sprawl of the book, along with occasionally bizarre (and hilarious)... Read more
Published on January 28, 2008 by Nathan King
2.0 out of 5 stars
Confusing and sophomoric
I didn't really get this book. I found it too long and almost boring. The plot is so complicated that I gave up on following it. Read more
Published on December 15, 2007 by Jacob Fehr
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