‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ by American novelist John Kennedy
Toole was
discussed by the group, but no detailed record survives of
the event.
The proposer recalls that he first read the book many years
ago and
found it very funny, but on his second reading in
preparation for the
discussion he discovered that there were substantial parts
of the book
that seemed to fall a bit flat. Although the central character Ignatius
J. Reilly is a brilliant invention, there is less
sure-footedness in the
depiction of some minor characters, such as Mr and Mrs Levy,
whose
antics seemed tiresome on a second reading. However, during the
discussion the parts of the book involving them were
defended by another
reader.
A strength of the book, in addition to its humour, was the
depiction of
the seedy underbelly of 1960s New Orleans, and the rendering
of speech
patterns, notably in the case of the minor character Burma
Jones, the
cleaner/janitor at a strip club.
The group's verdict overall was positive, and most of us
enjoyed the
read.
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