The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade

The Confidence-Man: His MasqueradeOn April Fool's Day in 1856, a shape shifting grifter boards a Mississippi riverboat to expose the pretenses, hypocrisies, and self delusions of his fellow passengers. The con artist assumes numerous identities a disabled beggar, a charity fundraiser, a successful businessman, an urbane gentleman to win over his not entirely innocent dupes. The central character's shifting identities, as fluid as the river itself, reflect broader aspects of human

On April Fool's Day in 1856, a shape-shifting grifter boards a Mississippi riverboat to expose the pretenses, hypocrisies, and self-delusions of his fellow passengers. The con artist assumes numerous identities -- a disabled beggar, a charity fundraiser, a successful businessman, an urbane gentleman -- to win over his not-entirely-innocent dupes. The central character's shifting identities, as fluid as the river itself, reflect broader aspects of human identity even as his impudent hoaxes form a meditation on illusion and trust.
This comic allegory addresses themes of sincerity, character, and morality in its challenge to the optimism and materialism of mid-19th-century America. By the time of its publication, readers had pigeonholed Herman Melville as a writer of adventure yarns. The novel was completely misunderstood by the author's contemporaries, and its financial failure drove him away from fiction. With the passage of time, however, The Confidence-Man has come to be recognized for its stunningly modern techniques and its indictment of the dark side of the American dream.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 11/15/2017
ISBN: 9780486817514
Pages: 304
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.70d