A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)

by John Kennedy Toole

Paperback, 416 pages

English language

Published Jan. 21, 1994 by Grove Press.

(131 reviews)

A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel by American novelist John Kennedy Toole which reached publication in 1980, eleven years after Toole's suicide. Published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a foreword) and Toole's mother, Thelma, the book became first a cult classic, then a mainstream success; it earned Toole a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981, and is now considered a canonical work of modern literature of the Southern United States.The book's title refers to an epigram from Jonathan Swift's essay Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting: "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Its central character, Ignatius J. Reilly, is an educated but slothful 30-year-old man living with his mother in the Uptown neighborhood of early-1960s New Orleans who, in his quest for employment, …

52 editions

Anthony reviewed La conjuration des imbéciles by John Kennedy Toole

La conjuration des imbéciles

4 stars

Il y a du burlesque dans ce roman posthume de John Kennedy Toole. J'ai plusieurs fois eu l'impression de m'immerger dans une pièce de théâtre du genre, notamment lors d'une scène avec « le vieux », la mère, Santa et ce pauvre policier. Bien que le personnage d'Ignatius soit insupportable, exaspérant, son côté Don Quichotte (seul contre tous) n'est pas sans nous émouvoir. J'ai beaucoup ri – j'avais choisi ce livre pour cette raison – mais j'ai trouvé quelques longueurs, signe que certains passages auraient sans doute mérité quelques coupures.

Hugh reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I didn’t enjoy this book and I wouldn’t recommend it.

nix reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Interesting read with an overall very amusing story. Much of the book is intentionally weird or uncomfortable, which I can appreciate, but some of it doesn't add any value or thoughtfulness. I think it's good to read a compelling and bizarre book sometimes, but I don't think this is a must-read for anyone.

Jonathan Zacsh reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Really funny, dated, but still good.

Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"Oh, my valve!"

It took me around 50 pages to get my bearings but as soon as I did, humor and brilliance burst forth exponentially. This is the funniest book I have ever read.

Ignatius Reilly's overly dramatic turns of phrase are so good I need to make a reference list so I can incorporate them into my own habits. Gems like: "they are an affront to theology and geometry;" "Apparently I lack some particular perversion which today's employer is seeking;" and "Canned food is a perversion. I suspect that it is ultimately very damaging to the soul."

There are so many more but turns of phrase are only one reason I loved this book. The plotting is the other. Toole seamlessly plotted a small community of storylines in a way I haven't seen before. It was inspiring!

Not only do I highly recommend anyone read this but this one …

Mollarom reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A romp in New Orleans with a memorable cast of characters in a slow-motion train wreck.

protomattr reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This superb novel combines a wacky yet tight plot, a dialogue-driven narrative, a Twain-caliber ear for dialect, and an economy of unique characters and settings in such a way that it reads like a stage production or maybe a Wes Anderson movie. The absurd adventures of Ignatius Reilly are truly funny, yet kind of depressing at the same time. Indeed, through the colossally pathetic presence of the anti-protagonist and his supporting cast, we are treated to a series of episodes that, in addition to entertaining us, entreat us to consider the futility of existence, and the possibility that we're overthinking it.

The Gnome King reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Oh dear! This book has been recommended to me so many times by my goodreads friends, more than any other book. Alas I found it dull, I really couldn't see what the fuss was, most of the book is dull with a few funny bits. I think even the author found it hard going too as the last chapter is called "The final chapter" maybe he was relieved to get to the end.

I can see what was attempted here, a modern day take on Don Quixote. Ignatious certainly comes across as a super arrogant version. He is a brilliant character, some wonderful delusional lines, and as with Don Quixote I felt a tad guilty laughing at him as it is obvious he has issues.

The rest of the characters suck, Mrs Levy, the Mum and Santa are so whiney, I started to get sick of them each time they appeared on the page. Even harder to tolerate was Jones and Angelo, such weak characters. It might have been how I read, the characters develop a voice in my head and the voices in this book grated on me.

If this book had a better plot and at least one more strong character I would have been more into it.....still it is a million times better than "to the lighthouse".

Hirvox reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

For a book written in 1963, the Confederacy of Dunces has aged surprisingly little. Sure, the references to life in New Orleans are dated, but the characters are timeless. While a modern version of Ignatious J. Reilly would be more comfortable with blogging than writing tablets, he could as well be a highly-paid political commentator, searching for the next thing to be offended by. And while there are plenty of other dunces in the book, none of them are as entertainingly venomous as him.

Wilfredo Flores reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

One of its kind. I've never read anything like this in my entire life.

ghostchaser reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Insane

Chris M reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I don't know what to say in this review except that this is the most singularly funny novel I have ever read.

Baltipink reviewed A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Review of 'A Confederacy of Dunces' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Another NoLa theme read. I have to say that I didn't find it as hilarious as advertised. But I did do quite of bit of amused smiling. The main character has no redeeming qualities, but you find yourself rooting for him anyway. Most of the characters are pretty awful people, although I think the men come off a bit better than the women. And the author probably should have steered clear of trying to depict the gay community. But he clearly hung out with some anarchist/radical/activist types. Cause he skewers us pretty good.