I have to give credit where credit is due, and besides the fact that it was nice to have a break from the 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Annie recommendations I've read/still have to read, our director, Mr. Patrick Wall, was responsible for me picking up one of the funniest books I've read in recent history. Patrick pitched this book to me as "the book that people in their 20's thought was cool to read 20 years ago." While this may not sound like the strongest pitch, it resonated with me for some reason and I picked it up, and I am certainly glad I did.
The title comes from a Jonathan Swift quote that I enjoy "When a true genius appears in the world, you will know him for this one reason--- that all the dunces are in confederacy against him." Hilarious, right? Well, that quote expresses the story perfectly, because Toole's protagonist, the sloppy, overweight, boisterous, overeducated Ignatius J. Reilly, is a self-proclaimed genius who believes that the rest of the world is out to get him. Ignatius is extremely hard to explain to those who haven't read the book, but trust me when I say that he is truly one of a kind. If I had to put it in terms that the unfamiliar could understand, I would say that Ignatius is the self-centered obliviousness of Don Quixote mixed with the surliness and general disdain for society of Holden Caulfield.
Besides the masterpiece character of Reilly himself, Toole populates his story set in 1980's New Orleans with other interesting side-characters, such as the foolish Patrolman Mancuso and Jones, a character who, although seeming to be the most stereotypical portrayal of a black person since old Disney movies like Song of the South, is actually the only character who realizes how ridiculous the circumstances of the book are. Toole tells the story of how Ignatius' interactions with these characters in an attempt to find work to pay for a drunk driving accident caused by his peabrained mother have hilarious results.
Enjoying this book taught me a very important lesson--- just because something's an older book and I've never heard of it doesn't mean it won't make me laugh my ass off. Kudos Patrick, this really was a great read.
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