In the novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole, the author uses both low and high comedy. The effect of using both in this novel is that it makes it accessible to an audience who may not understand all of the literary allusions. It also serves to make Ignatius a rounder character. He is not only a buffoon tripping over his girth and having his co-workers land on top of him, but he is also someone who understands who Lady Fortuna is and who can rail at her to comedic effect.
According to Dictionary.com, low comedy is defined as a 鍍ype of comedy that depends on physical action, broadly humorous or farcical situations, and often bawdy or vulgar jokes.�High comedy is defined as 殿 type of comedy dealing with polite society, characterized by sophisticated, witty dialogue and an intricate plot.�A Confederacy of Dunces employs both high and low comedy. In the second chapter, we see an example of high comedy as Ignatius, the main character, bemoans his lot in life. 徹h, Fortuna, blind, heedless goddess, I am strapped to your wheel,�Ignatius belched. 泥o not crush me beneath your spokes. Raise me on high, divinity.�(Toole 30) Lady Fortuna is an allusion to the philosophical text, The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. Boethius argued that human beings should accept whatever hand Lady Fortuna dealt them without complaint. During Boethius’ time people believed that a goddess, Fortuna, spun a wheel to determine what would happen during the course of human lives. She also represented changing luck. Ignatius’ witty rant to Lady Fortuna is humorous because he is upset over a very minor issue. He is suffering from a greater amount of gas and bloating than usual. Hardly a reason to rail against Fate. This type of comedy serves to reveal Ignatius’ character. He is obviously very well read and a deep thinker, yet he is also given to bouts of self-pity that prevent him from accomplishing anything worthwhile.
Interestingly, later in the same scene the reader is presented with a situation involving low comedy. While Ignatius rails against his luck, he feels the need to belch.
Bouncing up and down on his side vigorously, Ignatius sensed a belch rising in his throat, but when he expectantly opened his mouth he emitted only a small burp. Still, the bouncing had some physiological effect. Ignatius touched the small erection that was pointing downward into the sheet, held it, and lay still trying to decide what to do. . . At last a vision appeared, the familiar figure of the large and devoted collie that had been his pet when he was in high school. “Woof!” Ignatius almost heard Rex say once again. “Woof! Woof! Arf!” Rex looked so lifelike. One ear dropped. He panted. The apparition jumped over a fence and chased a stick that somehow landed in the middle of Ignatius’ quilt. (Toole 31)
In the above passage, Ignatius, in the middle of railing against Lady Fortuna for cursing him with very uncomfortable gas and bloating, bounces up and down to release it. This motion causes him to achieve an erection. Ignatius reflects on how easily he used to be able to masturbate, while bemoaning the fact that he can’t easily relieve himself anymore. Comically (and tragically) Ignatius can only achieve sexual satisfaction while masturbating to the memory his long dead dog. A vulgar image in a vulgar scene and a great example of low comedy in the novel. This scene is important because it reveals two sides of Ignatius. We have the erudite Ignatius who is well read enough to quote Boethius and on the other hand we have a vulgar Ignatius pleasuring himself to image of his dead collie.
Chapter 4 features a scene that epitomizes low comedy. Ignatius is at work. He attempts to use a tiny stool to reach some low drawers. He winds up sprawled on the floor. His coworkers come to his aid only to wind up on top of him.
The thud of Ignatius’ fall had attracted Miss Trixie from the ladies’ room; she came around the files and tripped on the mountain of supine flesh.
. . .“Well, I’m certainly glad of that,” Miss Trixie said, stepping onto one of Ignatius’ outstretched hands. “Good grief!” Ignatius thundered and sprang into a sitting position. “The bones in my hand are crushed. I’ll never be able to use it again.”
“Miss Trixie is very light,” the office manager told Ignatius. “I don’t think she could have hurt you much.”
“Has she ever stepped on you, you idiot? How would you know?”
(Toole 84-86)
The above passage represents low comedy because it relies on a physical situation for its humor. Toole uses low comedy to great effect in this novel. Low comedy in used in this work as character development. It can be argued that Ignatius takes himself very seriously. He sees himself as an adherent of the stoic philosophy of Boethius, but moments like the scene above reveal a different side of Ignatius. Toole uses low comedy to show the reader who Ignatius really is. Yes, Ignatius is very intelligent and well read, but he is also a buffoon who masturbates to images of his dead dog and who winds up in a pig pile on the office floor with his co-workers.
In the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole employs both low and high comedy. Toole employs high comedy to reveal Ignatius as a witty and learned man. Ignatius’ rails humorously against Lady Fortuna. Ignatius regularly writes treatises (handwritten in pencil on plain tablet paper) and possesses a very sophisticated sense of humor, and yet he is still a buffoon. Toole employs low comedy in order to paint a fuller, more three dimensional portrait of Ignatius. No doubt Ignatius sees himself as sophisticated and witty, yet the scenes of low comedy reveal his bumbling buffoonery. The effect of using both types of comedy in this novel is to create a novel with richly drawn characters.
