Rating: 
Summary: Society of Dunces
Review: Filled with satirical black humor concerning the usually overlooked "characters" of society, John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer prize winning novel The Confederacy of Dunces , captures a reality of our society that we like to disregard.
In The Confederacy of Dunces the unique tempo and the slow pace of the overall development of the plot creates a feel of dreary, everyday life, while the immediate happenings tend to be absurd, ridiculous, or down right stupid. In many instances Toole will jump between a third person point of view subjective to different characters, or a objective point of view depicting the seen from many angles making the absurdity of the happenings or the actions and words of our hero Ignatius J. Riely painfully clear. Then the long tedious exchanges of letters between Myna Minkoff and Ignatius, or the journals of Ignatius, though still absurd, draws out the story and creates a weary response from the reader. Energetic, dreary, energetic, dreary.... The delicate mixture of excitement and dullness creates a parallel with life, a disturbing realization due to the fact that readers tend to think the actions of the characters in this novel "not normal".
There are many "characters" in this novel, to tell the truth all most all characters that appear in this novel are not what people would like to call "normal". Still, none can beat Ignatius J. Riely in uniqueness. "Huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantuan, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times), how did this complete slob of a man ever make it to the cover of a best seller? Through out the book he undergoes no mental growth (he does gain some pounds though), and his only reason for even considering moving is threats! What is the point of putting such a complete "character" in the main role? When this combined with the earlier idea of the book paralleling with life, one sees that Toole is saying that these people, this society, maybe not in this extent, but still does actually exist.
The Confederacy of Dunces captures vividly the society of "queers", "nerds", "social-outcasts", and the "sub-normal". Then through the book he shows the readers the desperate reality that this is not "sub-normal". It is a depressing realization, but an important one. Knowing of a failure is the best way to start fixing what ever it is that is failing. If you feel in any way revolted by anything in this novel, understand that it is real, then think of how you can change things for the better.
Rating: 
Summary: my review
Review: After reading A Confederacy of Dunces I was really disappointed in the book. The novel was supposed to be humorous. However, as I started to read more into the book I felt really annoyed with the characters in the book, and with the book itself. A theme that the author, John Kennedy Toole, tries to display is that the characters are foolish and unhappy because people in society aren't helping one another and that is a major reason why they are unhappy.
The characters, especially Ignatius, annoyed me because they weren't unhappy just because no one was helping them, it was also the fact that they didn't try to do something for themselves and be happy. Few people today in society will help someone so they can make their lives happier. My opinion is that this is a book that I could not read over again. I do not recommend this book if you want to laugh all it did was irritate me.
Rating: 
Summary: Kira's review
Review: As your begin to read a book you almost envision what you read. In A Confederacy of DUNCES, by Toole, it is hard to keep envisioning. The characters bounce about as obliterated fools do as they live their lives in the poor area of New Orleans. Your eyes begin to close dreamily as his first character, Ignatius, gets a job as a hotdog vendor, only to shoot back open for a moment as he and his mother fight once this is over they dreamily close once more. Now Toole's characters do have potential to be something more but they don't. For instance: Ignatius is a 30 year old obese man who lives with his mother while they both live off of his dead father's saved meager income. Ignatius is a smart man, or at least he has been to college, he could have had a job years and years ago yet he has never once had a single job. This 30-year-old man has been writing a book for 3 years. This 30 year old man acts like a 3 year old child, when he was asked to get a job to be able to pay for a drunken mistake he almost throws a hissy fit. The mistake was purely to blame for the two alcoholics driving, Ignatius and his mother Mrs. Riley. They had both gone out and got themselves trashed then preceded to drive home. They crashed into a building and that's how the story really began. Now everyone, it seems like, that the author mentions in the book he begins a little tangent about him or her that continues through out the entire book. They all sort of click in the end and even sometimes you see the connection in the middle of the book. For instance: Patrolman Mancuso is the officer who found Mrs. Riley and Ignatius's car in shambles combined with a lovely hole in a wall. He also asks Mrs. Riley out on a date involving bowling. We then meet his sister, Santa, who Mrs. Riley really quite enjoys. Or even before that when Mrs. Riley and Ignatius went to drink they met at the bar Lana Lee, the owner of the bar and Darlene her employee. Lana Lee then hires a black man trying to stay out of the police's way, Jones.
I mean it seems like the list could go on forever, and that's why I don't enjoy the book, it goes on and on and on. It has no point at all, this may be because Toole killed himself before finishing, and definitely does not stand out in my mind as being a book of merit. A novel of merit is a book that has deep meaning to you and will stay with you always. I have trouble remembering what I had just read in A Confederacy of DUNCES! The book showed me no deep and powerful meaning, however I believe it might be a different story if I were to read it in 20 years or so. I think that the book has too much to do with debt, families, and the lives of middle age persons that it is virtually impossible for us youngin's to truly enjoy it or even understand it.
So on that note I would suggest this book to only those who have a knack for reading and the persistence of a buffalo on steroids, or to those above the age of 35. This book couldn't grab me even if I was covered in glue. Hearing from others in my class and of my age group I have also found that they don't enjoy it either. There is one advantage to this horrifyingly boring book and that is that it is short, 394 pages!!!! This is why we read it. And well I don't believe it was worth it. I give it a half a star.
Rating: 
Summary: A sublime intersection of comedy, satire and burlesque
Review: It may very well be the funniest novel in American literature. One thing is for certain: it is unique. I've wracked my brains to think of a parallel to it, and the closest I can come is P. G. Wodehouse with his Bertie and Jeeves characters. But this really doesn't come that close, except for the zaniness of the characters. Ignatius Reilly stands alone. He is repulsive, yes...but not in an evil sense. His self-deluded, self absorbed worldview leads him into some of the most preposterous statements regarding the people and social conventions of his native New Orleans that you are likely ever to read. His fulminations are at once breathtaking in their verve and linguistic acrobatics, while at the same time so absurd as to pass beyond lunacy. How in the world the author came up with some of these dialogues is a wonder and you must read this book if only to experience the world according to Ignatius Reilly. There is an undertone of sadness to this work, and I can't quite figure it out. There is nothing overtly tragic or sad here, and yet somehow or other, a gray fog seeps out of the text and at the end of a particularly funny episode, you stop laughing long enough to feel the tug of poignant humanity. Where does it come from? It's hard to explain. But reading this book was an experience well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but Ignatius is gross.
Review: How could anyone say that this book is about nothing? Toole incorporates so many social, political, and personal issues. In an era of social change, he writes liberally of the Civil Rights movement, gay rights, and political activism. Toole's offcolor humor is not always well understood (especially by me), but the humor I did understand made the book worth the read. Toole's grotesque descriptions of Ignatius and his overly active valve were hilarious. The ending of the book did seem a little rushed, which is why I only gave the book 3 stars. For all of the odd happenings that occurred, everything wrapped up too nicely in the end. I enjoy a happy ending, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't even classify it as happy because Ignatius was still really weird in the end, maybe even more so than in the beginning. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book. Read it for a good laugh, but prepare yourself for Ignatius' appalling antics.
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest books ever written!
Review: I had to read this novel for my American Literature class and all I can say is that....THIS IS THE MOST WICKED TIGHT BOOK I'VE EVER BEEN FORCED TO READ. Don't judge this book by the cover (or by the title at that matter) this is a very good read. This is the funniest book I've read since The Grandissimes. For those who don't know what this story is about, think if Oliver Hardy (from the classic Laurel and Hardy film shorts) ate Don Quixote and you get the books "hero," Ignatius J Reilly. Ignatius is a big fat slob who lives still lives with his mother despite the fact that he is in his thirty's and is a college grad. As I learned in my Lit. class, this is a picaresque story, it focuses on the main characters interior human psyche. Since the entire book follows Ignatius's episodic adventures there is no itinerary. The entire novel is full of parody's of social norms. But it's not just about stuff I learned in class, this book is all about laughter. Throughout all of the chapters I was laughing my head off, the library literally had to throw me out because of scene I was making. This book has it all; a fat person who eats and complains all the time, New Orleans, a policeman who dresses in funny outfits and hangs out in a mens room, flaming gay people, hot dogs, everything! It's a rollercoaster of a ride that will make your valve open and your moustache smile and your eyes water with tears of joy. So stop waisting your time reading what other people thought of this book, go out and read it. Develope your own opinon for crying out loud!
Rating: 
Summary: A Confederacy of Dunces
Review: A Confederacy of Dunces is a book that you will love or hate; there is no middle ground. The excellent use of dark humor will leave you rolling on the floor for quite some time if you are one that enjoys such humor. On the other hand, if you do not care for subtle ironic and dark humor then you will most likely find this to be one of the most painful reads in your life.
The book revolves mainly around Ignatus. Ignatus is an obese man who lives with his mother in his thirties and has many strange ventures throughout the book. These ventures are absurd and he will basically leave turmoil wherever he goes. The people he meets then enter the story and you hear the outcome of what becomes of them after Ignatus has encountered them. Not all of the people he meets will come to a sticky end, but the book will touch on some issues using the characters to convey a message through some of the characters realizations.
The book does not only hold excellent entertainment value but it is also a great piece of modernism that offers some of the characters as metaphors for issues or problems in our country that where apparent then, and some even today.
I personally enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dark outlook, and is able to laugh at dismal things. Also I believe that it is a good read because of all that it brings to light, and one should read it critically to see the points the book touches on.
Rating:
Summary: English 14 Review of Confederacy of Dunces
Review: I think that Confederacy of Dunces was a very interesting book. I had to read this book for one of my classes and I went into reading it thinking that I would not like the book. After a few chapters my mind had not changed- it was simply not a book that I was interested in. The main character, Ignatius, was disgusting and completely vulgar. I think that this is what John Kennedy Toole was trying to portray to the reader. In this case Kennedy did a great job of getting his main character across to the reader. I became less and less interested in Ignatius as the book continued. I fequently became fusterated with his antics. In my personal opinion I think that C of D could have been about 100 pages shorter- the middle dragged and then the ending was extremely rushed. I think that the author should have given up on the book the first time it was rejected- but then again it is a great story for English classes across the US. I almost felt inspired by Kennedy's personal story- but as for his story about Ignatius I was left with questions.
Rating:
Summary: MY FAVORITE BOOK EVER
Review: To me, someone who doesn't like this book, is like someone who doesn't like chocolate--just plain weird. This book makes me laugh out loud, and I read it every year. I love everything about it--the dialogue, descriptions, characters (who are total caricatures)and story line. I can't say enough good things about this book. I wish it was 300 pages longer!
Rating:
Summary: A Confederacy of Dunces (An Appropriate Title)
Review: A satirical anecdote of the decay of lower-class New Orleans, John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces presents a 30 year old, overweight and highly educated ape of a man living at home with his poor, driven-to-drink mother. The two make a pair of human beings (if one would consider the former a human being) operating at polar ends of the morality spectrum. Neither understand the other, and as each day passes, the frustration and trapped feeling rises more and more in the mother of Ignatius J. Reilly: Blundering Fool.
The story begins with Ignatius and his mother running into a desperate patrolman, Mancuso, whose only aspiration in life is to bring down his first criminal. When Mancuso targets Ignatius, all hell breaks loose and the 30 year old man becomes four, and screams for his mother's assistance. Ignatius' outrageous attempt to remain unemployed and sunken into the depths of his bedroom with pen and notepad in hand, constantly scribbling ideas and random thoughts proves his laziness and carelessness of his mother's well being. His mother, widowed Mrs. Reilly, is relentlessly struggling to get her inactive lump of a son out into the world to seek employment. After a minor car accident, Mrs. Reilly finally convinces her son to get a job in order to pay for damages caused by the accident. Levy Pants to the rescue! Ignatius receives, to some degree, employment at an office, which manages a trouser-producing factory. After a few weeks working for the easily confusable, and deceived Mr. Gonzalez, Ignatius becomes reluctantly comfortable as a filer. Ms. Trixie, an old, should have been retired 10 years ago, senile employee is trapped at Levy Pants by the owner's psychotically devoted to saving the world from any kind of sociological sufferingwife. Mrs. Levy believes that what miss Trixie needs is to be notified of how much she is actually needed. In the end of his career as a Levy Pants Associate, Ignatius certainly goes out with a bang! In a ridiculous attempt to lead the factory workers to revolt against the management for underpayment and mistreatment, Ignatius fails quite explosively and is immediately fired. In endeavoring to prove to his mother that this is fate, or "Fortuna" telling him that he is unfit for employment and is left with no other choice but to lay in his room writing, and vigorously attacking the various self pleasing materials which he has kept since his adolescent days, he is once again forced to find another job.
While Ignatius is between jobs, we are introduced to Myrna Minkoff via a letter written to Ignatius to inform him of her success of becoming an activist in up-state New York. He writes back with a loathsome and offensive attitude claiming that she is obsessed with [love]and politics. Finally, Ignatius stumbles upon his final job. Meanwhile, Mrs. Reilly is making friends (one of which happens to be the policeman who tried to arrest her son). The new-found acquaintances are continuously warning her that her son is to be locked up in a mental hospital, but she just can't find it in her poor soul to make the call.
As a hot dog vendor, Ignatius has once again found refuge in a plush job and wastes his time sitting on street corners and eating the merchandise. An encounter with one, Doriane Greene proves to be a rather ointless part of the story, other than emphasizing even more Igantius' insanity. The two decide to throw a party, which Ignatius takes as an opportunity to lecture to the participants about peace on Earth, while Doriane simply wants to make fun of him in a gathering of friends. Ignatius is persistently thinking of ways he can show Myrna Minkoff how he can outdo her, but upon arriving at this party, he finds he is the laughing stock of the house.
Ignatius runs to the nearest bar, "Night of Joy" where is depending on the showing of a [dancer] whose picture he cam across during one of his escapades as a vendor. Lana Lee, the owner of the bar notices this familiar, fat face, and immediately panics for fear of running off the good customers. All goes wrong within the first few minutes of the act, and the [dancers] aid in show (a cockatoo) flies off and attacks Ignatius. He tumbles out to the street in a wild attempt to release himself from the bird and ends up in the papers for creating such a scene. Finally, Ignatius' mother calls Charity Hospital to come and take her son away. Speaking to soon, she gives her idea away to Ignatius bye saying goodbye and leaving the house. Myrna Minkoff randomly shows up at his house and takes him back to New York with her, rescuing him from the Psycho Ward before they arrive to carry him off.
The novel is basically a cluster of characters, which are all troubled in some way. I really enjoyed reading the book, because of the comedic content. However, a plot was difficult to locate. All of the characters wound together in a way that was quite fascinating and logical. However, like I said, what is the point? I can't say that I recommend this book to anyone, unless they are simply bored and are looking for an autobiography of an irrational, and sad man who has nothing to live for but himself.
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