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A Confederacy of Dunces Paperback – 1987

by John Kennedy Toole (Author), Walker Percy (Foreword)

2,334 customer reviews

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A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero, one Ignatius J. Reilly, is "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times).

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs."

Meet Ignatius J. Reilly, the hero of John Kennedy Toole's tragicomic tale, A Confederacy of Dunces. This 30-year-old medievalist lives at home with his mother in New Orleans, pens his magnum opus on Big Chief writing pads he keeps hidden under his bed, and relays to anyone who will listen the traumatic experience he once had on a Greyhound Scenicruiser bound for Baton Rouge. ("Speeding along in that bus was like hurtling into the abyss.") But Ignatius's quiet life of tyrannizing his mother and writing his endless comparative history screeches to a halt when he is almost arrested by the overeager Patrolman Mancuso--who mistakes him for a vagrant--and then involved in a car accident with his tipsy mother behind the wheel. One thing leads to another, and before he knows it, Ignatius is out pounding the pavement in search of a job.

Over the next several hundred pages, our hero stumbles from one adventure to the next. His stint as a hotdog vendor is less than successful, and he soon turns his employers at the Levy Pants Company on their heads. Ignatius's path through the working world is populated by marvelous secondary characters: the stripper Darlene and her talented cockatoo; the septuagenarian secretary Miss Trixie, whose desperate attempts to retire are constantly, comically thwarted; gay blade Dorian Greene; sinister Miss Lee, proprietor of the Night of Joy nightclub; and Myrna Minkoff, the girl Ignatius loves to hate. The many subplots that weave through A Confederacy of Dunces are as complicated as anything you'll find in a Dickens novel, and just as beautifully tied together in the end. But it is Ignatius--selfish, domineering, and deluded, tragic and comic and larger than life--who carries the story. He is a modern-day Quixote beset by giants of the modern age. His fragility cracks the shell of comic bluster, revealing a deep streak of melancholy beneath the antic humor. John Kennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 and never saw the publication of his novel. Ignatius Reilly is what he left behind, a fitting memorial to a talented and tormented life. --Alix Wilber

From Library Journal

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel with the sad history turns 20 (LJ 4/15/80). This story about a young man's isolation still rings true at a time when millions interact more with computers than with other people. This anniversary edition contains a new introduction by Andrei Codrescu.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 405 pages
Publisher: Grove Weidenfeld; Reissue edition (1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802130208
ISBN-13: 978-0802130204
Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 2,334 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #125 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Humor & Satire > Humorous
- #171 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics
- #566 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

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"His Royal Malignancy"

ByAmazon Customeron February 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

When critics say Confederacy is not true-to-life because it's full of despicable characters; unlikely situations; and plot-holes, I have to wonder what kind of lives they have---because that's a near perfect description of mine. JKT is (was) a master at turn-of-phrase with a gift for writing large the theater-of-the-absurd, but that's not really why I love this book so much.

I re-read aCoD every three to five years for a "humility tune up." The book is a highly polished soul mirror that's a lot more true-to-life than most people want it to be. Ignatius, or "His Royal Malignancy" as I like to call him, is the central character, and an extreme example of an arrogant bastard with absolutely nothing to be arrogant about, but the whole book is like a case study for John Calvin's doctrine of total depravity; everyone in it is---to some degree--indelibly screwed up. I suspect this is why so many people hate this book. At some point they see themselves here and realize that the depth of their own depravity is invariably greater than they suspected, realized, or certainly would ever have cared to admit.

If you love Ignatius J. Reilly, there is probably something really wrong with you, but if you hate him---there definitely is. Either way, you're doomed.

0Comment 43 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Brilliantly ludicrous

ByPatrickon January 28, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

It was during the reading of this book that I came to realize I seem to have an affinity for a certain type of protagonist: physical oddity; social misfit; egocentric; and, to varying degrees, delusional. I love those guys! What exactly that says about me I try not to think about too much... Anyway, when compared to some of my other favorite book characters (Oskar, The Tin Drum; Misha, Absurdistan; Euchrid, And The Ass Saw The Angel), good ol' Ignatius Reilly may very well be the most colorful of all.

I gather from perusing some of the 1-star reviews, that some people find Ignatius too distasteful and repellent to empathize/sympathize with (or in some cases, even finish the book). That's fine. To each their own; but to me that only strengthens the argument that Toole did a masterful job in crafting the character. He's too offensive to even read?! Awesome. Just imagine if you were a character in the book that had to actually deal with him face to face. Oh the horror! Sympathize with those poor souls.
Yet, despite his beastly outward appearance, he's still very much a child at heart. Living with his mom, doing dead end jobs, dressing up in costume, fantasizing, developing ideologies and attempting to act on them. Let's be honest, no matter what our age or place in life, we all still have a bit of that going on within us. We just don't always act on it like Ignatius does.
The results of his antics- and other characters' reactions to them- while not terribly surprising in my opinion, are still worth a read; and definitely worth 5 stars.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Entertaining and Funny

ByNew Orleans Ladyon May 18, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I read this book and enjoyed it immensely when it was first published. That was a long time ago, so I decided to add it to my kindle and read it again. Being from New Orleans, I think it was better this time than before for many reasons. It took me back to a New Orleans that only exists in memories. The old Canal Street of that time, D. H. Holmes department store where Ignatius is "waitin' for his momma," Werleins music store where he purchases a string for his lute, and Woolworth's (yes, some locals did refer to it as Woolsworth) as we so eloquently put it down here, 'ain't dere no more.' As I made my way through the pages, I could feel the sights and sounds of a New Orleans long gone. The dialect was spot on, and there is lots of humor throughout the story. John Kennedy Toole was a genius. It's unfortunate he gave up and took his own life at such a young age. He had a brilliant future ahead of him if he had only held on a little longer.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Thanks "Doctor Rich" from The Love Doctors for this book!

ByTom Croomon February 13, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

You can credit the South Florida radio talk show The Love Doctors with my reading this book. "Doctor Rich" Dickerson would constantly bring up A Confederacy of Dunces as an influence in his life, so I figured I might as well dedicate some time flipping through the pages.

I'm glad I did.

I bring a unique perspective to this book as a self-proclaimed pop culture geek. It's from that mindset that I realized that this book is (wholly by accident) about the genre convention stereotype: "the fanboy". The main character, Ignatius Jacques Reilly exhibits the following qualities:

1. Socially awkward to the point of being overly social. You know the type.
2. He dresses outrageously and is never without his mismatched hunting cap (much like cosplayers out of costume.)
3. He gets into long winded nonsensical arguments with about random things via letters (very much akin to online "flame wars" on fan forums.)
4. He cites Batman comics as the only impactful literature of the time.
5. He still lives with his mom while in his thirties.

A Confederacy of Dunces is a satire that depicts the ridiculous antics of various folks in New Orleans on the 1960s. It is profounds in its biting commentary on people and essays have been written about the book and the deceased author (if you haven't read the story behind him, DO IT) - yet none that I have found point out the obvious (at least to me) connection to current stereotypes in fandom culture.

If you've ever walked the around San Diego Comic Con or Dragon*Con, I suggest you take some time to read this and see how alive and well Ignatius is in today's society.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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A great read for the Mensa Club nearest you!

Wow! Never read anything like it but I totally got it! I would suggest this book for the Mensa Club nearest you!

Published 18 hours ago by Victoria Bird

Five Stars

Funniest book ever. ever.

Published 2 days ago by C. B. jones

Five Stars

works fine

Published 5 days ago by Cats

One Star

Sad but well written.

Published 9 days ago by Laura Rogers

My favorite book of all time (and I've read my share

My favorite book of all time (and I've read my share, in all categories. I bought this copy to give to a friend, as I won't let my own coy out the door.Read more

Published 11 days ago by Allen P.

Five Stars

Very funny even after reading it for the 5th time

Published 13 days ago by Serah

Best. Book. Ever.

Best book ever! The dialog is perfectly written to sound exactly like a New Orleans drawl. The characters are developed so you feel like you know them.Read more

Published 19 days ago by Karla Earnest

One of my top five favorite books of all time

One of my top five favorite books of all time. I have actually met a real life Ignatius and my husband and I laugh hysterically every time I draw the correlation.Read more

Published 21 days ago by Naomi

A perfect book that could be about the Trump administration

Trump being Ignatius Reilly, fits the bill perfectly. What is portrayed as 1960 New Orleans is the swamp of D.C. Very uncanny

Published 22 days ago by Gary A. Delligatti

Hilarious and Clever: A Classic!

I originally heard of this book when Artie from The Howard Stern Show said it was his favorite. This book deserves to be read by everyone.Read more

Published 24 days ago by Alby

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