Open to current graduate students at the University of Chicago. Participants can come to whichever sessions they choose. Drinks and Snacks will be provided.
Take a journey with us through the vibrant streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter as we read A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole’s masterpiece of humor and a character study of one of the giants of literature, Ignatius J. Reilly. In this group, we will explore the book’s cadre of distinctive characters and Toole’s synthesis of New Orleans’ contradictory gumbo of vice, race, and French Catholicism. We hope we’ll be able to balance the belly laughs with the thoughtful insights the book offers into the absurdity of the modern world, the struggle to live an authentic life, and whether a Medieval tome works better as a guide to living a good life or a doorstop.
SCHEDULE:
This group will meet weekly on Thursdays (beginning April 10th) from 8:00pm – 9:00pm over drinks and snacks.
A copy of the book will be provided to all participants. The reading may be picked up at Gavin House (1220 E 58th street) during business hours at the start of the fall quarter.
- 4/10: Chapter 1: pp. 1-27
- 4/15: Chapters 2-3: pp. 28-81
- 4/24: Chapters 4-6: pp. 82-151
- 5/1: Chapters 7-9: pp. 152-234
- 5/8: Chapters 10-11: pp. 235-302
- 5/15: Chapters 12-14: pp. 303-394