A Confederacy of Dunces (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Kennedy Toole
- First Published: 1980
- Type of Plot: Epic comedy
- Time of Work: The early 1960’s
- Setting: New Orleans
- Principal Characters: Ignatius J. Reilly, Irene Reilly, Myrna Minkoff, Angelo Mancuso, Claude Robichaux, Lana Lee, Burma Jones, Darlene, Gus Levy, Mrs. Levy, Miss Trixie
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire
- Subjects: 1960’s, South or Southerners, Historians, New Orleans, Popular culture, Employment or employees, Satire
- Locales: New Orleans, LA
The Novel
The action of A Confederacy of Dunces blends such disparate elements as ribald farce, sophisticated intellectual and social satire, and realistic examination of the speech and customs of ethnic New Orleans. Binding these elements together is the magnetic figure of Ignatius J. Reilly, a grossly fat, thirtyish mama’s boy and failed medieval scholar who is convinced of his own genius and of the fact that “the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” Ignatius is eager to condemn any product of modern culture and technology for its “offenses against...
[The entire page is 2895 words long]
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