John Kennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 and never saw the publication of his novel. Confederacy of Dunces is a hilarious and tragic book that explores the life of decidedly unlikable Ignatius J. Reilly. Excerpts: “Your total ignorance of that which you profess to teach merits the death penalty. I doubt whether you know that St. Cassian of Imola was stabbed to death by his students with their styli…Pray to him, you deluded fool, you ‘anyone for tennis?’ golf-playing, cocktail-quaffing, pseudo-pedant.” “Santa, honey, that’s a sweet little Blessed Virgin you got on top that TV,” Mrs. Reilly said. …Santa said, “Ain’t it nice, though? It’s a little Our Lady of the Television. It’s got a suction cup base so I don’t knock it over when I’m banging around in the kitchen. I bought it by Lenny’s” “Lenny’s got everything,” Mrs. Reilly said. “It looks like it’s made outta nice plastic, too. Don’t break.” “My mentality, uncontrollable and wanton as always, whispered to me a scheme so magnificent and daring that I shrank from the very thought of what I was hearing. “Stop! I cried imploringly my godlike mind. ‘This is madness!’”