A Confederacy of Dunces is determined to be smarter than you. The book has allusions to everything from medieval learning to modern American literature to art films—you can barely turn a page without finding a shout out to some obscure historical figure or other (more over in the "Symbols" section about this).
But while the book displays a lot of learning, it doesn't seem to respect it much. The professor in the book, Dr. Talc, is an ignoramus and a cad, and Ignatius uses his education for the sole purpose of insulting people; Myrna uses hers for similar purposes. A Confederacy of Dunces wasn't written by a dunce—but it does seem to suggest that even the folks who aren't dunces are in that same confederacy.
Questions About Education
- Is George right to have quit school? Would he have been better off with more education like Ignatius?
- Who is more ignorant, Dr. Talc or Darlene? Does the book think the difference matters?
- How would Ignatius be different if he were less educated?