BY MIKE BEEMAN
This is our last entry in the Read This Book Now series. Drop what you’re doing right now, and read John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. Then read the other entries in this series here. Keep your eyes peeled for our next series, starting up this summer.
I nearly missed out on this book for the same reason I miss out on a lot of books, movies and music: If too many people like something, part of me starts to think it must suck. I don’t know why, but if more than three people, or any one person on television, recommend something I start rolling my eyes. Maybe it’s because I think that if something appeals to everyone it must be so watered-down and vanilla that people with no taste at all can enjoy it. The point is, I’m usually wrong and miss out on cool things. For this reason, I heard about A Confederacy of Dunces long before I read it. A friend demanded I read Confederacy repeatedly, and after finally reading it, I’m ashamed to say how long he badgered me before his recommendation took. So if you haven’t read this book for the same reason, do yourself a favor and get a copy. You won’t be sorry.
This book is hard to categorize, or even sum up, which may be why it’s hard to recommend. It’s nearly plotless, and the main character, Ignatious Rielly, is one of the most obnoxious characters in literature. Here’s a brief except from the opening scene, where a police officer asks the conspicuous and elephantine Ignatious for identification at a shopping mall. To which Ignatious replies:
“Is it the part of the police department to harass me when this city is a flagrant vice capitol of the civilized world?” Ignatius bellowed over the crowd in front of the store. “This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, Antichrists, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians, all of whom are only too well protected by graft. If you have a moment, I shall discuss the crime problem with you, but don’t make the mistake of bothering me.”
This short exchange tells us everything about the character, and this book. Ignatius has a ready list of “degenerates” -everyone from Antichrists to litterbugs and lesbians- a group in which, although he repeats it moments before beating the same police officer with a roll of sheet music and lute string, he does not recognize himself. It is his arrogance and self-delusion which drive this novel and, ironically, what makes him so sympathetic.
Describing the attraction of watching someone like Reilly is as difficult as describing the novel. A Confederacy of Dunces is a throw-back, the same as its protagonist: There is no real plot-arc, no meta-fictional devices, and it is not tied to any celebrities or historical event (except perhaps, now, the cannon of pre-Katrina New Orleans literature, the same as The Moviegoer, whose author saved this novel from oblivion). Trying to apply the Heroe’s Journey Template to this novel would be as absurd as Ignatious -which, along with the curse, might explain why it has never been filmed. It is a picturesque series of events, loosely connected, involving charters so weird in their own unique ways each seems entirely real. Reilly is the first character we meet, but his supporting cast often steals the show, and upstaging a giant, bellowing, arrogant anachronism is no easy task.
I think anyone who recommends this book does so urgently, as I do, and so the mania can seem off-putting. So here’s a link to the book on Amazon. Please don’t buy it there. Instead, go into the “Look Inside” function and browse the first few pages, then buy it at a local book store when you can’t stop reading. Do it right now. Before you miss out on something cool.
lisa (the little reader) said:
i have had this book on my bookshelf for YEARS and still haven’t read it. and i’m fairly certain that it will be one of those reads that i end up kicking myself for waiting so long.
this post has me inching it closer to the top of the pile. 🙂
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Mike Beeman said:
Hi Lisa,
Glad to hear it! I usually tell people to start reading Confederacy and stop whenever they get bored, and so far it has worked every time. There are so many good books out there to read, though, and I’m sure your pile is as tall as my own. Having this in your stack is definitely a good start. I’m sure you’ll love it when you get there.
Thanks for reading, and for the comment!
-Mike
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Sean Clark said:
Ah the pile. Mine is towering. We’ll have to think up some post honoring reader piles.
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manish kumar said:
i want 2 dwnld d pdf of dis book . where can i dwnld from ? there r sites 4 pdf books but ultimately they led to offer of purchasing d book!
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Sean Clark said:
Hi Manish. You should probably either purchase a copy of the book or see about getting a pdf copy from a library if there is one available to you.
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felix said:
Strangely enough, it’s a book that gets funnier with each reading. Also, while it’s true that there’s no visible plot-arc, the book progresses sneakily and inexorably towards the grandmother of all Dickensian endings.
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Books HQ said:
I couldn’t agree more with you Mike, this is a wonderful book. As obnoxious As Ignatius is, I’m so glad he exists. I’ve also manically been recommending this book to anyone who’ll listen. Must have a look through the rest of your must read list!
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