Witold Gombrowicz: Ferdydurke

Considered a neglected modernist masterpiece Witold Gombrowicz's Ferdydurke is rapidly becoming less neglected, with particularly vocal support having come from Susan Sontag among others. Like Kafka written by a frustrated schoolboy with a strong satirical agenda, Ferdydurke tells of the narrator's transformation from thirty year old write to 16 year old child/adolescent, and follows the trials and tribulations associated with these stages of life in modern society.

Kotecki: 'But I don't understand, sir. I don't understand how I can be sent into transports of delight if I am not sent into transports of delight.'
The master: 'But Kotecki, how can you not be sent into transports of delight if I have already explained to you a thousand times that you are sent into transports of delight?'

Like Kafka and other early twentieth century European modernists Canetti, Walser and Svevo, events change rapidly and drastically throughout Ferdydurke. Once in school 'backsides' become a central focus of both the masters, who lust after them, and the students, who value the power they hold. The protagonist himself stops resisting the pangs of adolescence upon viewing the daughter of his minders, becoming obsessed with her 'irresistible thighs'. He later escapes with a schoolfriend to the country, following his chum's desire to 'fra... ternise with stableboys', but finding the peasants reverted to barking dogs, is rescued by well-to-do relatives. There the customs of the upper class are ridiculed, as are those of their servants, before the entire novel collapses in chaos, all values, structures, and meaning rendered absurd, especially education

Operation pedagogue continued relentlessly, and innumerable specialists worked on the masses, teaching and instructing, influencing and developing, awakening and civilizing them, with simplified grimaces ad hoc.

... and culture

When a concert pianist plays Chopin, for instance, you say: The audience was roused and carried away by a brilliant interpretation of the master's music. But it is possible that not a single member of the audience was carried away; it is perfectly possible that, if they had not known that Chopin was a great master and the virtuoso a great pianist, they might have received the performance with less enthusiasm... For, gentleman, there exist in the world human groups which are some less, some more, disgraceful, shameful, and humiliating than others - and stupidity is not spread equally everywhere. At first sight for instance, the world of hairdressers has always seemed to me to be more liable to stupidity than that of shoemakers. But the thigns that happen int he world's artistic circles beat all records ins tupidity and ignominy - to such an extent that it is impossible for a normally constituted person not sweat with shame in the presence of their childish and pretentious orgies!