A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, “The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel featuring Ignatius Reilly and his marvelous, madcap adventures in New Orleans,” is something unique to behold, and it is definitely worth holding.
Now, I have run into the fictional Ignatius J. Reilly before, so perhaps that is what has enthralled me with this novel. I met him on the campus of my alma mater in a few passing acquaintances. Rarely have I met him out in the world at large, but I have met him. And if you’ve spent any time, especially four years in higher education, you’ve probably also met Ignatius.
This true original is special. He’s the most over the top, the most expository, the most moral and philosophical, and the most stunted by his own thoughts. Genuinely, sometimes you just have to open up the pages of a book and let it take you wherever it chooses to go. In this case, Ignatius is the driver, so hold on tight.
When a series of mishaps challenges the sedentary post-collegiate life of “Miltonic isolation” that Ignatius has grown accustomed to, he must venture into the world and get a job. “Too long have I confined myself in Miltonic isolation and meditation,” he writes. “It is clearly time for me to step boldly into our society…”
This book is not only what happens to Ignatius, but it’s also his writing that we get to read as well. We are not only following along with the “madcap adventures” as the book’s cover puts it, but we are also reading what he is writing as his interpretation of those events. Ignatius would 100% have at least a blog in today’s world.
This book was written in the early sixties and finally first published in 1980, years after its author had passed. The story of John Kennedy Toole is genuinely a sad one, especially for someone who could write such a brilliant novel. Through Ignatius, though, we see the world as perhaps the author had glimpsed it. It’s not a glowing review for the state of the country or even the world according to Ignatius:
“A firm rule must be imposed upon our nation before it destroys itself. The United States needs some theology and geometry, some taste and decency. I suspect that we are teetering on the edge of the abyss.”
“With the breakdown of the Medieval system, the gods of Chaos, Lunacy, and Bad Taste gained ascendancy.”
“I refuse to ‘look up.’ Optimism nauseates me. It is perverse. Since man’s fall, his proper position in the universe has been one of misery.”
This book is unique, chaotic, irrational, brilliant, and goes in all sorts of directions. It’s a book that will absolutely make you think, as some of this stuff might just be crazy enough to be true. Or it may be so on the nose as to come off as false, that spectrum is a rollercoaster within the novel.
The reprinted edition starts before the title page with a quote by Jonathan Swift from 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.”
This is where the book starts, and it’s a solid foundation. You don’t have to know or remember Philosophy 101, or anything too related to the Roman philosopher Boethius that Ignatius continues to refer to, as it’s all explained within. This is not what I would call light reading, so keep that in mind.
I enjoyed this book, but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why, other than it was original and fresh, and I wasn’t quite sure where it was heading at times. If that’s too broad, I’m sorry. To give you any more may spoil the book, and it’s worth going in with a fresh set of eyes and no spoilers. If I’ve enticed you at all, see if you can grab a copy at your local library and give it a chance.