A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

When a true genius appears in the world,
you may know him by this sign, that the dunces
are all in confederacy against him.
Jonathan Swift-
Thoughts on Various Subjects,
Moral and Diverting


I'm sure that I've mentioned this book title to some of you before, but after my third re-read I had to do a piece on it. Some research I did for this post blew me away. I didn't even know the whole story.
I won't bore with my version, so just check out this link. I guess that story really doesn't carry as much weight to those who haven't read the book. I get the same feeling after re-reading this book that I get after watching a thought provoking movie like Waking Life or American Beauty.

The character of Ignatius J. Riley is truly a Falstaff-ian figure. A huge man who is constantly burping, farting, and bitching at everyone couldn't possibly be the protagonist of a critically acclaimed story I've raved about could he? Oh yes he could!!! I struggle to write a commentary without giving away the genius of the story. So here is a short synopsis in another's words since I can't seem to find my own. Click here for synopsis.

Also in my research, I was pleasantly surprised to find a movie of A Confederacy of Dunces in the works now. A movie version of this story would be hilarious. Especially with a good cast of Mos Def, Drew Barrymore and Will Farell as Ignatius J. Riley. Unfortunately, according to imdb information, production has stalled so we may never get to see what could have been.