Melodies of Humor and Satire of the Clever Fools: An Examination of Picaresque Elements in A Confederacy of Dunces

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 araku

2 arak uni

Abstract

The picaresque is a narrative mode that, through realistic portrayals of nonconformist protagonists and by relying on cunning, deception, and episodic narration, uses humor and satire to critique society. John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces is a prominent example of a work that presents a comic yet bitter depiction of the cultural and psychological tensions of a contemporary society. This study aims to provide a systematic examination of the picaresque components in the novel; its central question asks which picaresque features play a foundational role in A Confederacy of Dunces. The method is descriptive–analytic, based on a close reading of the text and its alignment with picaresque criteria. The findings indicate that the episodic narrative structure, the centrality of a protagonist at odds with social norms, a satirical tone, and the use of deceptive and rhetorical devices function as the novel’s principal picaresque structural elements; other components, such as travel or pervasive poverty, appear only sporadically in the text. a protagonist at odds with social norms, a satirical tone, and the use of deceptive and rhetorical devices function as the novel’s principal picaresque structural elements; other components, such as travel or pervasive poverty, appear only sporadically in the text.

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Research in Narrative Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 September 2025

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