The Sot-Weed Factor

The photo and description described the used book as a leather embossed “library” copy. What I received was a worn paperback. First and last time I’ll deal with this business.

Perhaps most impressive of all of John Barth's picaresque classic is the fact that it succeeds on many levels. It is quite difficult to imagine anyone taking this novel completely seriously, however it can be read as an epic. Most likely it will be enjoyed as a brilliant satire providing most readers with innumerable passages that will have them laughing out loud. However one senses many philosophical statements and themes communicated through the characters' preposterous actions and attitudes. It was the characters, in fact, that impressed me the most about "The Sot-Weed Factor," while appearing at times ridiculous to the point of being hilarious, most readers will likely find a little bit of themselves in characters like Ebenezer Cooke, Henry Burlingame, etc. My favorite character was Ebenezer's servant whose name eludes me at this time. Barth has coined himself a "smiling nihilist" and this book is a fine example of this sentiment, though most readers will likely spend less time smiling and more time doubled over in laughter. A must-read!

based on real life individual ebenezer cooke from the seventeenth century, barth fabricates a stunningly rich, complex world for that character which is brilliantly funny, historically rigorous and contains some of the best writing of the century. passage after passage is filled with deeply authentic atmosphere and dialogue that is so true to an earthy kind of slang of the times that is leaves novel phrases ringing in your head for weeks. it can be read (at least) on a couple of levels, the simplest being a recounting of colonial maryland through the experiences and eyes (and interactions with many, many other characters) of cooke. at a deeper level it could be read as a philosophical confrontation of an individual life with the world at large. one of the most influential works of fiction i've ever read.

I have an official list of "The Three Funniest Novels That I Have Ever Read." The three books are, in no particular order, Stanislaw Lem's THE FUTUROLOGICAL CONGRESS, Joseph Heller's CATCH-22, and John Barth's THE SOTWEED FACTOR. There were times in the latter, especially near the end, where I had to pause repeatedly in my reading to laugh out loud.But this book has much more to offer than just humor. Barth, who in his novels clearly reveals himself to be a student of the genre, strives to write an 18th century novel in the 20th century, and succeeds magnificently. I believe that this novel couldn't help but delight any serious reader whose possesses even the slightest sense of humor.