Book notes | A Confederacy of Dunces
The book's title refers to an epigram from “Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting,” an essay by Jonathan Swift: “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.”
The central character in the book is the celebrated Ignatius J. Reilly—an educated, slothful, boastful, bullying, selfish, narcissistic, articulate, medievalist scholar.
For some Fourth Friday Book Club October 2021 meeting attendees, the telling of Ignatius was hilarious, a uniquely laugh-out-loud experience. For others, it was a different reading. Whatever the book's virtues, one could be blindsided by the central character, fully capable of offensive behavior and language in reference to Negroes, Liberals, Upper West Side New York women, and child actors (they ought to be gassed).
A Confederacy of Dunces manages comedy, farce, satire, a core of vulgarity, and misogynism. And, as if that were not enough, Ignatius is portrayed as smelly in body, smelly in filthy bedclothes, and with a unique smelliness associated with flatulence.
Rich and profound
Ignatius is at his most articulate as a serious scholar of the medieval period, albeit misguided in his many pronouncements of the period. The central premise is that human society peaked around the 14th century. Ignatius is in revolt of the post 14th-entury era. In pursuit of that revolt, he is a virtuoso in screwball language, screwball antics, and screwball episodes. The language is rich; the forays into social, historical, political, and economic premises are profound.
The Confederacy of Dunces is light on plot. In fact, the book was initially rejected by every book editor of good reputation. (The fatal criticism could be that the book was not about anything!) This was in the 60s, when Philip Roth, John Updike, and William Styron were successfully writing a lot that was appropriate to the motifs of the period.
Finally published in 1980, nearly 11 years after Toole's suicide at the age of 31, A Confederacy of Dunces was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. Acclaimed as a literary masterpiece, for those with contemporary 2021 sensibilities the book is a canonical work of modern literature, best understood as a period piece.
—Dorothy Marden, Fourth Friday Book Club
Book Club II to meet October 22
Fri, Oct 22 2021, 2pm
The Fourth Friday Book Club selection for its meeting at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 22, is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
New members are welcome!
Please contact Dorothy Marden or Margaret Catambay to learn more.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
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Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
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August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
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We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.