A Confederacy of Dunces

How it reads

A Confederacy of Dunces is classics (satirical comedy, specifically), and its dominant mood is funny. The humour is the point, not garnish. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a big city setting, in the historical past, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are identity, class and society and secrets. In weight it's heavy and literary — denser, more serious, and more demanding of you.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 394 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.