The sot-weed factor

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John Barth: The sot-weed factor (1961, Secker & Warburg)

795 pages

English language

Published Nov. 7, 1961 by Secker & Warburg.

ISBN:
978-0-436-03371-1
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5 stars (1 review)

8 editions

Review of 'The Sot-weed Factor' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

An amazing piece of work, The Sot-Weed Factor is an hilarious satire set in the 17th century and written in a style that reflects that time. The many plot twists keep the reader going, and the colorful vocabulary is part of the fun. In one section, there are several pages devoted to a verbal name-calling battle between two women who come up with about a hundred synonyms for the word "prostitute." There are long conversations filled with double entendre, unbelievable boasts, and of course there's Ebenezer Cooke, one of the funniest characters one will ever encounter in a novel.

My only criticism of this tale is that it does have a couple overly long-winded parts. Thank you, Carol, for putting this author on my map. I should add Chimera someday soon.

Subjects

  • Fiction in English.