A Confederacy of Dunces: The Novel that Almost Never Was

Ignatius Reilly, the slovenly, pontificating misanthrope who embarks on one misadventure after another in John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece A Confederacy of Dunces was a different kind of hero. The book became a New York Times bestseller, sold millions of copies, inspired the likes of John Belushi, Will Ferrell, and Steven Soderbergh, and earned a place on the top ten most influential works of American literature.

In this engaging presentation, Jodee Blanco, co-author of I, John Kennedy Toole, will focus on the role of strong southern women in the making of A Confederacy of Dunces, most notably Walker Percy's wife, Bunt, and Toole's mother Thelma, without whom he would never have been published. Blanco will explore the possible origins of some of Toole’s female characters and what they can tell us about his legacy and the mystery surrounding his death. She will also reveal a moving truth about Toole and the women who influenced him which she discovered going through his archives, poring over everything from scribbles on tiny scraps of paper, diary entries, letters and post cards; to college papers and notebooks, and traveling to places where he had been, attempting to retrace his steps and get inside his head. Blanco will talk about the assistant at Simon & Schuster who pulled Toole’s manuscript out of the slush pile, a possible secret love, the movie star he idolized, and the famous southern female writer he yearned to know. This will be a deeply personal presentation that looks at John Kennedy Toole's literary achievements through the lens of the sacred feminine.

To allow for better spacing and for all attendees to see all 4 major presentations this talk will be offered in 2 sessions. Once from 8:30 - 10am and again from 10:30 to Noon.