A Confederacy of Dunces Paperback - 1994
by John Kennedy Toole; Foreword by Walker Percy
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has sold over three-quarters of a million copies and continues to earn critical acclaim. The story of one Ignatius J. Reilly, a "Don Quixote of the French Quarter", it is a masterpiece of human folly and tragedy.
About this book
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author died by suicide at the age of 31. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a revealing foreword) and Toole's mother, Thelma Toole. In 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, granting posthumous recognition to John Kennedy Toole. The novel has since gained a cult following and is celebrated as a classic of American literature.
Set in New Orleans during the 1960s, A Confederacy of Dunces revolves around the eccentric and socially awkward protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly. Ignatius is an obese, unemployed, highly educated man who lives with his overbearing mother.
The novel follows Ignatius as he navigates various misadventures, often clashing with the world around him due to his pompous intellect and disdain for modern society. Ignatius is a self-proclaimed philosopher and writer who spends most of his time writing in his ever-present journal, "The Journal of a Working Boy," where he criticizes the world's perceived injustices.
Ignatius's life takes an unexpected turn when his mother forces him to find a job to contribute to their finances. His misadventures in the working world lead him to cross paths with a colorful cast of characters, including his eccentric employer, a former girlfriend, a politically active barmaid, a black prostitute, and a policeman who becomes obsessed with exposing Ignatius's alleged communist activities.
The novel's humor lies in the absurd situations, ironic dialogue, and the juxtaposition of Ignatius's intellectual pretensions with the realities of his daily life. Through Ignatius's escapades, the novel explores themes of societal conformity, alienation, and the clash between traditional values and modernity.
Summary
First line
A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head.
First Edition Identification
The first edition of A Confederacy of Dunces was published by Louisiana State Univ Press in 1980. Only 2,500 true first editions were printed, with 1980 on title page, and copyright page without additional printings stated. The first issue dust jacket has a Walker Percy blurb on the rear panel.
Details
- Title A Confederacy of Dunces
- Author John Kennedy Toole; Foreword by Walker Percy
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Later Printing
- Pages 416
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Grove Press, New York
- Date 1994-01-21
- ISBN 9780802130204 / 0802130208
- Weight 0.85 lbs (0.39 kg)
- Dimensions 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 in (20.83 x 13.72 x 3.05 cm)
- Ages 12 to UP years
- Grade levels 7 - UP
- Reading level 800
-
Themes
- Cultural Region: Deep South
- Cultural Region: Gulf Coast
- Cultural Region: Mid-South
- Cultural Region: Southeast U.S.
- Cultural Region: South
- Demographic Orientation: Urban
- Geographic Orientation: Louisiana
- Locality: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Library of Congress subjects New Orleans (La.), Mothers and sons
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 87000408
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
Media reviews
Citations
- Entertainment Weekly, 07/05/2013, Page 99
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