The Folly of Mediocrity: A Cynical Exploration of ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’
John Kennedy Toole’s ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ is a tour de force of tragicomic brilliance, a work that simultaneously skewers and sympathizes with its characters in a manner befitting the best of dark humor. Set in the vibrant, decaying chaos of 1960s New Orleans, this posthumously published novel unveils the folly of humanity through its protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, whose