A happy ending?

This was the sort of novel where I expected it to end tragically, that all of these flawed characters would finish their storylines on a hopeless note. Instead, most of the characters get a happy, or at least hopeful, ending, from Jones to Mr. Levy to crazy Trixie to Ignatius, who may be using Myrna at the end to escape, but finishes with this:

"He stared gratefully at the back of Myrna's head, at the pigtail that swung innocently at his knee. Gratefully. How ironic, Ignatius thought. Taking the pigtail in one of his paws, he pressed it warmly to his wet moustache."

Not only is there the promise of a deeper relationship with Myrna, and a future with somebody who understands him, but it was the first moment that Ignatius seemed to be operating with any clarity. How hopeful!

Similarities, influences?

I told KC that "Confederacy of Dunces" reminded me of something I'd read before and finally made the connection. It's a great, absurd play called "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad." The protagonist, Madame Rosepettle, is a lot like Ignatius: Distorted worldview, sexually repressed and delivers snappy, pseudointellectual dialogue.

I don't know whether it's something the author would have seen (the play debuted in the early '60s), but it occurs to me now that there's a similar, sort of Oedipal strain: Ignatius depends on his mother and becomes frightened when she gains friends, then a suitor; Madame Rosepettle depends on her son and becomes threatened when he gains a friend and suitor.

But the play also has a dangerous Venus flytrap.

Anyway, I don't know whether anyone read into any other possible cultural influences, besides the book of philosophy kc was looking into.

Dunces with Wolves

Frieda Club, Betty Bumper, and Liz Steele are portrayed as pack of hostile lesbians. The male homosexuals, such as Dorian, are much less aggressive. What do you think of how the books gay characters are portrayed?

OT: Who's heard of Nashville Pussy?

(Sorry, test post. Thanks for the invite, Erin.)

Dunce and Sensibility

Who do you think is the most sensible character in the book? And who
is the biggest dunce?

Dunce fever

What did you think was the book's funniest moment or moments?

If "Seinfeld" were a novel ...

One of the publishers who rejected "The Confederacy of Dunces" did so on the basis that it wasn't "about anything." What, if anything, do you think it was about?

George's pick

OK, I'll let kc have her pick back, so we'll go with my first choice:


This was one of my favorite science fiction books. "The Forever War" first appeared as a serial in "Analog" then was released as a novel, winning the Hugo and Nebula awards in the mid-'70s. It's considered a response to "Starship Troopers," a pro-military book by my favorite sci-fi writer, Robert Heinlein. Joe Haldeman was a Vietnam vet, and "The Forever War" was pretty topical when it came out, and maybe is still so today. I guess we'll find out.

Also, I'd suggest trying to get the one with the above cover if you can. The first novelization was a bit censored, and the update from the early '90s wasn't quite right, either. This one, released recently, is the supposedly the version the author intended.