A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Ignatius J. (Jacques) Reilly: The main charcater and anti-hero. A modern day Don Quixote; fat, over-educated, self-absorbed slob.
• Irene Reilly: Ignatius' mother; tormented by her son's failure to make something of himself.
• Myrna Minkoff: An artistic social activist in New York; Myrna and Ignatius were students and friends at Cambridge and have continued a correspondence; Myrna is Ignatius' only connection to the outside world and to sanity.
• Angelo Mancuso: A weak, inept, and unlucky New Orleans cop; his run-in with Ignatius at the beginning of the tale sets in motion a series of hilarious consequences.
• Santa Battaglia: Mancuso's aunt; Santa befriends Irene and encourages her to start a new life.
• Claude Robichaux: A wodowed, elderly gentleman; Santa arranges for Claude to meet Irene in the hopes that they can find some happiness together; it is Claude's mistaken arrest in the beginning of the tale that initiates the series of events that constitutes the novel.
• Lana Lee: Caustic, cynical owner of the Night of Joy bar; involved with George, a local teen in some suspicious, covert dealings.
• Burma Jones: A young black man working for low wages at the Night of Joy bar; Jones is resentful of the low wages, but continues to work to avoid being arrested for vagrancy.
• Darlene: A waitress at the Night of Joy with aspirations of being a dancer.
• George: A high-school aged kid who is involved in some suspicious, covert dealings with Lana Lee.
• Mr. Gonzalez: Office manager at Levy Pants, where Ignatius takes a job as a filer.
• Miss Trixie: Somewhat senile old woman who works in the office at Levy Pants; The owner's wife insists that Mrs. Trixie be kept on despite her own desire to retire.
• Gus Levy: Owner of Levy Pants; inherited the company from his father, Leon; Gus finds the factory bothersome and avoids it as much as possible.
• Mrs. Levy: Gus Levy's angry wife who continuouisly belittles and nags him for letting his father's business - Levy Pants - deteriorate through neglect.
• Susan and Sandra: The daughters of the Levys, they are always mentioned in tandem; they are used as blackmail by both Mr. and Mrs. Levy as each threatens to share damning information with the daughters unless the other relents to their wishes.
• A Confederacy of Dunces: A Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy written by an American John Kennedy Toole, published posthumously in 1980. The story is set in New Orleans in the early 1960s. The central character is Ignatius Reilly, an educated but slothful 30-year-old man still living with his mother in the city's Uptown neighborhood, who, due to an incident early in the book, must set out to get a job. In his quest for employment he has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters.
• Mr. Clyde: Owner of Paradise Vendors, Mr Clyde hires Ignatius to push one of his hot dog vendor carts around New Orleans.
• Dorian Greene: Flamboyant homosexual; Dorian gives Ignatiuis a new idea for a cause to end warring in the world forever.
• Timmy: A friend of Dorian's who plays a part in the absurdity of Ignatius' "rally" at Dorian's apartment.
• Frieda Club: One of three aggressive lesbians - along with Betty and Liz - who confront Ignatius at his "rally" at Dorian Greene's apartment.
• Betty Bumper: One of three aggressive lesbians - along with Frieda and Liz - who confront Ignatius at his "rally" at Dorian Greene's apartment.
• Liz Steele: One of three aggressive lesbians - along with Frieda and Betty - who confront Ignatius at his "rally" at Dorian Greene's apartment.
• Miss Annie: The Reillys' complaining neighbor.
• The Sergeant: Patrolman Mancuso's boss who berates and humiliates Mancuso as an inept officer.
• Dr. Talc: A university professor who at one time suffered Ignatius and Myrna as students - in separate classes, but at the same time.
• Fortuna: Lady Luck; Ignatius makes frequent references to Fortuna, suggesting that his fate is controled by outsde forces.

Quotes edit see section history

• “You women had better stop giving teas and brunches and settle down to the business of learning how to draw... First you must learn how to handle a brush. I would suggest that you all get together and paint somebody's house for a start.”

  Ignatius

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• Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person's lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one's soul.

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• '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.'

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• I mingle with my peers or no one, and since I have no peers, I mingle with no one.

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• 'Canned food is a perversion,' Ignatius said. 'I suspect that it is ultimately very damaging to the soul.'

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• 'I dust a bit,' Ignatius told the policeman. 'In addition, I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip.'

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• I also told the students that, for the sake of humanity's future, I hoped that they were all sterile.'

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• You could tell by the way that he talked, though, that he had gone to school a long time. That was probably what was wrong with him. George had been wise enough to get out of school as soon as possible. He didn't want to end up like that guy.

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• Every asylum in this nation is filled with poor souls who simply cannot stand lanolin, cellophane, plastic, television, and subdivisions.'

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• 'Is it the part of the police department to harass me when this city is a flagrant vice capital of the civilized world?' Ignatius bellowed over the crowd in front of the store. 'This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, Antichrists, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians, all of whom are only too well protected by graft. If you have a moment, I shall endeavor to discuss the crime problem with you, but don't make the mistake of bothering 7ne.'

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• Having once been so high, humanity fell so low. What had once been dedicated to the soul was now dedicated to the sale.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Night of Joy Bar: Failing bar owned by Lana Lee.
• Levy Pants: Gus Levy inherited Levy Pants from his father; Ignatius takes a job as a filer at Levy Pants to help his mother pay off damages from an automobile accident.

Organizations edit see section history

• Crusade for Moorish Dignity: A campaign that Ignatius initiates among the workers at Levy Pants to instigate a revolt for better workers' rights.
• Peace Party: A second crusade that Ignatius starts to end war in the world by infiltrating the military with more homosexuals.
• Communism: Referenced throughout the novel as a stigma to be associated with.

First Sentence edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Intellectual snobbery: Describe this theme.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by The Executioner's Song, and followed by Rabbit Is Rich.

Preceded by Watership Down, and followed by A Town Like Alice.

Preceded by Rituals, and followed by City Primeval.

Preceded by The Joy Luck Club, and followed by Lonesome Dove.

Preceded by Treasure Island, and followed by Foucault's Pendulum.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. John Kennedy Toole (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Walker Percy (Foreword)
2. Einar Heckscher (Translator) - English to Swedish
3. Myron Grossman (Cover Artist) - Drew the portrait of Ignatius in the Grove Press edition
4. Michael Tedesco (Cover Artist) - Drew the city background behind Ignatius in the Grove Press edition

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Pulitzer Prize (1981: Fiction)
• PEN/Faulkner Award (Finalist, 1981: Fiction)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3570.O54 C66 1980
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

The satire includes themes such as racism, homophobia, masturbation.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( T ) › Toole, John Kennedy
• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › United States
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Women's Fiction › Single Women
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Comic
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• The John Kennedy Toole Papers Collection

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