A Confederacy of Dunces

Rating:
Summary: not my style
Review: Confederacy of Dunces is brilliantly written and as a book probably deserves more stars than I gave it. But if, like me, you cannot like a book if you detest all the characters, you will not enjoy this one. If that's not a problem for you, go right ahead. Confederacy has biting wit, very in-depth characters, and some wonderful social observation. But don't expect to sympathize with anyone for more than a few pages.

Rating:
Summary: a dud
Review: Although I'm usually pretty critical of books, it takes a lot in order for me to give a book only one star. I picked this one up because it had won a Pulitzer and I was going to New Orleans soon and wanted some relevant (fictional) reading. I don't deny that Toole had some ambitious aims when he began this book--and yes, I agree it's a satire. But I didn't find it that effective because I could barely recognize humanity in these people. I usually think of satire as a social criticism involving humor and exaggeration. This book is filled with exaggerations--but I really didn't find it funny at all. Moreover, I could see what types of connections the author was trying to make with his critique, but I didn't find them at all compelling or even believable. In fact, I found the casting to be trite and ill-formed and am forced to agree with previous reviewers in saying that the majority of the book seemed redundant and annoying.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliance in hidding
Review: The words often found between the torn and tattered pages of waterlogged books are seldom those of pure brilliance, and not pure as in real, but pure as in straight from the depths of the earth spring water pure. In John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces, pure brilliance cannot describe the literature present. Artistic views and ideals flow from the pages like a waterfall, sticking in the depths of the readers' brain, forever more, till death do you part.

Brilliance is proclaimed in the first paragraph of the first page, with the eloquent and detailed description of the main character.

" A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indication two directions at once. Full pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs. In the shadow under the green visor of the cap Ignatius J. Reilly's supercilious blue and yellow eyes looked down upon the other people waiting under the clock at the D. H. Holmes department store, studying the crowd of people for signs of bad taste in dress."

It is inconceivable that anyone would not want to read this book. A modern day Don Quixote, Ignatius proclaims his fame early in the book, making a scene regardless of his actual actions. He is accused of being a 'vagrant' by an Officer Mancuso, and after an on foot chase scene through the streets of the French Quarter, New Orleans, Ignatius' mother, a blatant alcoholic, hurdles her car into the side of a building after a little too much of grandpa's old cough medicine, and sends Ignatius out onto the street.

How a person like Ignatius could ever survive in the world today is by all means, implausible. He appears to have a knack for finding just the wrong place to be at just the right time. He is a failure at alphabetizing anything, and could never sell any kind of food if his life depended on it, because regardless of how bloated he becomes, he seems to never stop eating. He somehow finds his way to a strictly gay party, attempts a speech, is hurled into the street, and becomes the mantle piece of an illegal-deal crack down. How one person, especially someone such as this, could ever get themselves into these kinds of situations is most likely the only unbelievable part of this book.

But the brilliance is not in Ignatius, although he pertains to be the smartest character in the book. The driving forces behind this book are the supporting characters. Many books today have main characters that develop throughout the book, also known as a round character. In these books, the supporting characters are the ones that always stay the same, a flat character. Toole had the audacity to flip the system, and play with it. Ignatius J. Reilly on page 394 is the same Ignatius J. Reilly as the one on page 1, aside from a few more bruises, physically and mentally. Mrs. Trixie, Mrs. Reilly, Mr. Levy, Mrs. Levy, Officer Mancuso, and Gonzalez all become different people, because of Ignatius. This talented and artistic style of writing is sure to bring about new and creative styles that no one will be able to resist.

Rating:
Summary: The Confederacy of the Dunces
Review: The Confederacy of the Dunces
By Drew Young

The Confederacy of the Dunces is a book written by John Kennedy Toole. This book is an enjoyable read, and it always keeps you on your toes. The main character, Ignatius J. Reilly is a thirty-year-old man who lives with his mother in New Orleans. He is well educated, but he just sits at home writing on big peaces of paper on what he thinks the world should look like. He goes through a hard time when his mother forces him to get a job to pay off debt. The events that follow are humorous and entertaining to any reader.
The things that made this book interesting and good were, the unique characters, the characters personality, and the way the two plots were brought together in the end. The main character Ignatius comes across as a person who thinks he is the smartest person in the world. He is a large person with a unique personality and is often described as a whale with a mustache. He has a green hunting cap with flaps and he puts the flaps up when he listens and puts them down when he talks. His mother, who takes care of Ignatius, is a nice lady who has no friends. As the book progress she finds love, and becomes more social. Dealing with Ignatius's problems drove her to drink. At a point she gets frustrated with her son, and asks him to get a job. No job could fit Ignatius unique personality. The other thing that makes the book interesting is the way they have two plots run at the same time and they make no sense until almost two thirds of the way through the book. The author did a good job of making lose ends come together nicely at the end of the book.
The thing I enjoyed most about is book is the way the author incorporated humor into the novel. This is probably the first novel I have ever read where I have laughed out loud while reading. However, Toole jumped into a plot with out warning. In the first chapter the author introduced the characters and the plot, but he did it in a way that I hadn't expected. This book was an enjoyable read, and the author's sense of humor was enjoyable. I suggest you read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Confederacy of Dunces book review
Review: The book, A Confederacy of Dunces, which was written by John Kennedy Toole, was far from intriguing. From the first sentence you could tell that it was not going to be an entertaining book. The lack of interest of the book came from the lack of personality of his characters. Toole's writing is descriptive but not enjoyable to the reader. He does not keep the reader wanting to come back to the book each night.
Ignatius, who was the main character, was a 30 year old man who still lives with his widowed mother. He is a very lazy nonsocial man who thinks that the world is out to get him. He hardly ever has a job, and when he does it is either as a hot dog vender or at a pant maker, which neither of them pay much money. Since he graduated from college and he received his Masters degree, you would think that he would have done something with his life. Ignatius' mother, Mrs. Reilly, who is an out of work widow, spoils her son to no end. Deep down she hates how her son is so lazy and thinks that he is very annoying. She worries that he will never find anyone to marry. Ignatius hardly ever comes out of his room and when he does it is to go some where with his mother and that is finally starting to bug Mrs. Reilly. She never gets any time alone to hang out with friends until she meets Santa, officer Mancuso's aunt.
Even though Toole puts every aspect of an American society in his book, he still is missing something to grab the attention of the reader. I would not recommend reading this book. I think this is just a waste of time and you don't get anything out of the book. There is no enjoyment.

Rating:
Summary: ~ A Confederacy of Dunces ~
Review: The novel A Confederacy of Dunces written by John Kennedy Toole is very unique. This particular novel takes place in New Orleans, one of the most infamous cities in America. New Orleans is generally known for its "upbeat" life style, which mainly consists of diverse people and parties. This setting alone would cause for a very interesting and original novel, filled with the many adventures...
The novel starts off with a physical description of the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, which allows the reader to use their imagination and become interested in the character/surroundings. He is a 34-year-old man that lives at home with his mother, in which he is totally dependant on. Ignatius has a good college education and is smart, however, he has never been able to obtain a long-term job. He has many hopes and dreams of being a writer someday and he often writes, and/or expresses himself in his "Big Chiesf Tablets". (personal journal) His mother, Irene, is a very nice woman. She takes care of Ignatius and meets his every need. Throughout the novel, one may often find themselves feeling bad for Irene because she spends most of her time waiting on Ignatius "hand-and-foot" and does not seem to have much of a social life that she can call her own.
Ignatius is a very unique and unpredictable man. He does not give into the confinements of society, which makes him standout in public. Society often judges Ignatius by his appearance. The reader is able to see this instantaneously in the first chapter when Ignatius is outside on Canal Street, waiting for his mother to return from a doctor appointment for her arthritis. He is just standing there, not doing anything wrong when all of a sudden; a police officer arrests him because he thought that Ignatius looked "suspicious". This is just one of the circumstances in the novel in which Ignatius is judged.
Ignatius and his mother, Irene, were very upset with the situation and decided to go and have a drink at a local bar called The Night of Joy. The two of them each consume a few drinks and then they jump in the car where Irene tries to drive while being under the influence of alcohol. She ends up running into a town building and causes a damage of $1, 020. Ignatius is then forced to put aside his hopes and dreams and face reality; he was going to have to find a job to support his mother. After numerous unsuccessful job interviews, Ignatius finally gets a job at a factory called Levy Pants. However, this job did not last for long because Ignatius swas fired after he attempted to assemble and lead the employees of Levy Pants in a demonstration to "get rid of" Mr. Gonzala. He convinced all of the workers to rebel against Mr. Gonzala due to the low wages, poor working conditions, and long hours at the factory. This demonstration failed. Ignatius then got himself a job with "Paradise Hot Dogs", being a vendor, where he encountered many new and interesting people.
Over the course of the novel A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole takes the reader on a unique adventure through the life of Ignatius J. Reilly. Ignatius meets many new people and throughout the novel the reader is able to see the changes in Ignatius's life and the lives of the people that he comes in contact with. This style of writing is very effective in indulging the reader. This novel gets the reader curious as to what comes next in the story, which makes one want to continue reading until the last page of the novel...

Rating:
Summary: A Confederacy of Dunces
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces. John Kennedy Toole. New York: Grove Press, 1980. 394 pg.

Many high school students detest reading novels. Students have come to hate reading because of dry, slow, or overly difficult novels chosen by their teachers. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is a perfect example of this type of novel. The story is about Ignatius, an obese man in his thirties that still lives with his mother and always stumbles into unusual situations. The slow plot and the ineffectiveness of the novel to captivate the reader only further restrain the reader's ability to enjoy the novel. Because of this disability, readers will find it difficult to empathize with Ignatius. A Confederacy of Dunces was long, drawn out, difficult to read and utterly pointless.
The author's style is very unique. John Toole uses precise words for describing not only character's emotions, but also everything else, "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once," (1). In this, the very first sentence of the story, the reader understands what an fatiguing read this novel will be. Because of the extensive descriptions the book seems ten times longer than it is. In Ignatius' diary, Toole uses language that is difficult to follow and focus on because of the complicated phrases and his long descriptions. For example, "We must hasten back on the wings of prose to the factory and its folk, who prompted my rather lengthy digression...and subsequent pratfall the sources of a great feeling of camaraderie."(123). The slow moving plot is another reason as to why the book is laborious to read. It is hard to concentrate and keep focus when there is so little action in the story and so much repetition.
This constant repetition becomes annoying and tedious to read. The entire story is surrounded by Ignatius' entries continuously repeating what has already been said. For instance, the reader finds out from an eye-witness account from Mr. Levy that, ""What are you people doing down there on the floor?"(86). Again the reader gets another account of the situation, when just pages later Mr. Levy states, [...] When I went there this morning everybody was on the floor. Don't ask me what they were doing. It could have been anything," (98). Unsurprisingly, the same instance is brought up again this time in Ignatius's journal, " My downfall occurred literally [...] and I plummeted to the floor [...]," (122). While Toole tries to allow the reader to see from the different character's point of views, he just makes it more lengthy and dull.
The author's style and the weak connection between the characters and reader made John Kennedy Toole's novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, monotonous and unexciting. I would not recommend this book to anyone ... but there are always exceptions to any rule. To people who have a large vocabulary or who have trouble sleeping at night; this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Book Review for Confederacy of Dunces
Review: Confederacy of Dunces written by John Kennedy Toole is by far the most bizarre book I have ever read. John Kennedy Toole is a unique author to say the least. He displayed this ability to write a unique book when he when he wrote Confederacy of Dunces.
This 400page book takes place in New Orleans, which is a port city with many immigrants who come to America. All the different cultures that the immigrants come from represent uniqueness which is a big part of Ignatius's personality. It is very fitting that Toole chose New Orleans as the setting for the book. The diversity of the city can be related to the diversity or uniqueness of Ignatius.
Confederacy's main theme is how Ignatius is different from the rest of society but that he does not realize this. He does not realize in the book that if he lived anywhere else in the world he would not be able to complain or critique anything about the government like he does in the United States. Not only is Ignatius a little different than most people in society but all the characters who surround Ignatius day to day are also a bit "different".
The book shows how Ignatius "who is not all their" functions in day to day society. I should say tries to function in day to day society. The book also reveals as time passes
how Ignatius and his mother do not get along. Once his mother meets the cop who almost arrested her son Ignatius because he looked suspicious, she slowly becomes friends with him. Before Ignatius realizes, Mancuso, who is the cop ,is at his house quite a bit and Ignatius is completely against him hanging out with his mom and being in his house. Ignatius slowly develops grudges against people and it is not just Mancuso.
Ignatius begins to become enemy's with other characters such as Lana Lee who is the owner of the Night of Joy bar which is not a place where Ignatius is necessarily liked. He is not liked by Lana because of the behavior he displayed when he went in her establishment after he almost got arrested by Mancuso. He told his mother on their walk back to the house from the store where he almost got arrested that he was very hungry and he could not wait till they got home to eat. So Irene took him to eat at Night of Joy but after they ate because of the hard day they had they both decided to get very drunk. Once they were drunk Ignatius started fights with the other customers and that is why Lana has been upset with him ever since. It is events like these that become a trend in the way Ignatius behaves as the book goes on.
One of the reasons I disliked the book was because their was no moral to the story. The character never showed maturity as the book progressed. I think that if someone is going to write a book they need to have a reason or a plot to base it on. I feel as if Toole just wrote this book for the hell of it instead of writing to prove a theory or a point or to teach a lesson. Why would anyone want to read a book that has no point? To me this question is still unanswered and this is why I did not like Confederacy of Dunces.

Rating:
Summary: Bombarded with the Cretins
Review: Bombarded with the cretins and sheer foolishness, Ignatius J. Reilly stumbles through life leaving an unrecognizable trail of folly. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole, is the story of Ignatius J. Reilly. His trials and tribulations, as well as comical interactions with individuals provide for an amusing story line. His escapades lead him to obtain different jobs throughout the story, which is the basis for the majority of his predicaments. Despite not being the most favorable employee, he is able to find work at a number of different locations. One job, at a trousers factory, ends up being a monumental mistake in his career.
The author's use of language adds immensely to the wittiness of the story. Toole injects an immaculate vocabulary into Ignatius, which can be seen in his ability to make fun of situations that occur in his presence. One experience Ignatius has rather periodically is conversations with a fellow friend, Myrna Minkoff. They confer through a series of letters, debating on opinions about differing social and political beliefs; "Do you seriously think that I am interested in your tawdry encounters with such sub-humans as folksingers? In every letter of yours I seem to find some references to the sleaziness of your personal life."
Toole adds many characters that add to the effects of Ignatius's absurdity. From his disbelieving mother to an honest hot dog vendor, Ignatius seems to blight everyone's lives he comes in contact with. He habitually relates the capricious wavering of events in his life to Fortuna, a sort of good or bad luck decision maker. This provides many comical encounters within his mind. Whether it be relating this downward spin of Fortuna to getting fired from one of his jobs, or his constantly deteriorating health, Ignatius transmits these episodes to the world around him, and this is usually rather negative; "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 arte teetering on the edge of abyss." Upon finishing this book, I have a greater appreciation of the simp0le story. Toole uses a mastery of language, comic relief, and interesting philosophies in his characters, and they fuse together to make an entertaining narrative.

Rating:
Summary: A Dunce of a Book
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces, written by John Kennedy Toole, is a novel that sheds light on those normally unseen in a novel. In other words, the main characters in this novel would normally take a backseat to personalities that are easier to relate to, in other books. Ignatius Reilly, the main focus of the novel, is an overweight, middle-aged, lethargic man, whose experiences land him in many different and absurd situations.
Other characters, such as Ignatius' mother, are also, if not more, eccentric than Ignatius. Irene Reilly has been living with her son his whole life and cannot seem to get him to shape up to be an upstanding citizen that makes contributions to society instead of lying in bed writing absolute nonsense on tablets of paper. She seldom leaves the house, due to Iganatius' constant need for care, and therefore has no social life until she meets detective Mancuso. Having recently run into Mancuso, due to a scene made by her son, he eventually befriends her and Mrs. Reilly slowly gains the courage to leave Ignatius at home at night and on weekends. Their friendship introduces Mancuso's Aunt who tries to get Mrs. Reilly to commit Ignatius to an asylum. This to Mrs. Reilly is a horrible thought.
This novel has an interesting idea behind it, that the main characters are the most unlikely personalities in a novel to be the main focus. However the book's chapters seem to drag on and, at times, ramble without any significance without relating to anything in the chapter. The main character is the most annoying personality someone can read about, and the book had no real plot and jump from one subject to another. If you enjoy reading senseless plots and irritating characters this book is for you; if not than this book is not recommended to you.