Sot-Weed Factor (Dalkey Archive Essentials)

John Barth's third book, "The Sot-Weed Factor", is an epic in nearly every sense of the word including the poetic. As Barth is wont to do, "The Sot-Weed Factor" is not only the title of this book, but it is also the title of a poem in the book which is penned by the lead character, who is himself a sot-weed factor ("sot weed" being a slang term for tobacco, and a "factor" being an agent, middleman or dealer). Thus Barth has described three different things with the same four words: this provides a hint of the many layers of meaning contained within "The Sot-Weed Factor" (Barth's book, that is, henceforth TSWF).TSWF rewards careful reading and rereading, and like most masterpieces it can be read and interpreted in myriad different ways. It can be read and admired simply for the literary achievement of penning, in the mid twentieth century, a lengthy book with a fair bit of poetry in it completely in the vocabulary and style of eighteenth century educated British society. TSWF can be read as an entertaining, bawdy satire; as historical fiction that may or may not illustrate something about aspects of American colonial life not often captured in textbooks; and as an intricate puzzle or game with intertwined characters that is not resolved until the end.But, as today's infomercials say, that is not all! Things get especially interesting when one interprets TSWF and draws parallels to the modern world. At its core TSWF is a story about the loss of innocence, with one person's innocence perhaps standing in for an entire country's or people's. The good news is that this loss of innocence may not be all that bad a thing. There are many philosophical, religious, political and legal aspects of the storyline, and Barth explores these deep issues while consistently keeping the reader entertained. Barth appears to advocate secular humanism, and one of the many interesting aspects of TSWF is to see how these principles would be carried out in the much more rigid society of British Colonial America.I heartily recommend TSWF to anyone with a sense of humor who appreciates finely written literature, and who has the time to devote to a lengthy written masterpiece. Although I think Barth could have done a bit of trimming, there is plenty of action and humor to keep the reader's interest. Upon completing TSWF I felt satisfied, and am looking forward to reading more of Barth's works and perhaps someday rereading "The Sot Weed Factor".

This is a hard read at first. And then it slowly starts clicking. Unlike something almost too robotic and somewhat off-putting, like Gravity's Rainbow, this one comes around the bend and meets you half-way. It won't be cuddling you or making you feel like a savant for understanding what is not there, but it has a soul and wide range of stylistic ambition. Barth writes from the heart. It just so happens it is buried under the veneer of an older style of writing here. The further you delve into this you start to see the mirror being reflected, at least in the mind of this fellow artist. While some times it can verge on getting a bit to long-winded, overall the payoff is huge and worth the travails.Barth has tremendous capability far above most his peers then and now. If anything read this to learn something about the English language. Beyond that the satire, the comedy, the biting realism; it's all fundamentally sound and extremely well-written. I think I had more fun reading his genius debut in The Floating Opera, but this is something else.... Read it slowly. Read it on the days you are confused about life. If it fails to grab you put it down. But always come back until you finish it. Barth makes you feel like a million bucks if you can get on his wavelength.

I enjoyed the book immensely up to page 662 of the Anchor Books paperback edition. From there pages 663 through 694 are missing! This was an essential turning point and climax in the novel. From page 695 to the end on page 756 I struggled to piece together what what was going on in the narrative.PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THIS EDITION OF THIS BOOK UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS CORRECTED.Most disappointing.

THE SOT-WEED FACTOR is one of those books that had been in the back of my mind for over 30 years. It kept popping up in lists of great novels, here and there, and always that intriguing title, THE SOT-WEED FACTOR. What the heck did that mean? Well, finally, after all these years, I got around to reading it, and I found out. And I'm glad I did.THE SOT-WEED FACTOR is a very unusual novel, and it took me some time to finish it. It is written in the linguistic style of the Eighteenth Century, an historical, satirical novel, a parody of the 18th-century picaresque novel. Though sometimes serious, it is frequently -- no, most of the time -- hilarious, tongue in cheek, bawdy. The novel is full of mistaken identities, false identities, and the plot takes twists and turns and roundabout detours -- to the point that at times it had my head spinning trying to figure out who was who and what was what.The main character is Ebenezer Cooke, something of a dandy boy, a wanna-be poet. He seeks to become the poet laureate of the Maryland colony. So THE SOT-WEED FACTOR traces his journey from London to Maryland in the new colonies, and all the adventures and misadventures that befall him: kidnapped by pirates, then kidnapped by Indians, the loss of his father's estate in Maryland,"love for a former prostitute; stealthy efforts to rob him of his virginity, which he is (almost) determined to protect; and an extraordinary gallery of treacherous characters who continually switch identities." [from back cover of Anchor Books edition]Well, sot-weed is what they called tobacco in those days, and a factor was a businessman, a middleman who buys something to resell. Cooke's father owns a sot-weed plantation, Malden, in Maryland, and it is Ebenezer's goal to go to Malden, and to write an epic verse praising the colony. He is given the title, Poet Laureate of Maryland by the third Lord Baltimore in London. However, once in the colonies, he is shocked by the vulgar, brutish ways of the colonists, and turns his pen from praise to ridicule.I should point out that Barth based his novel on a real person, Ebenezer Cooke, who, in fact, did write a poem entitled 'The Sot-Weed Factor,' which was published in London in 1708. The rest is all Barth.THE SOT-WEED FACTOR is very funny, very inventive, and deserved of its 'modern classic' status.

Reading this massive mighty book again at this late stage in my life is indeed one such bold resolve. But you know how beautifully smooth and limpid it reads, with no need to resist its page-turning compulsion (now yellow pages!) complete, though, sown with chunky philosophies and real histories and blatant indecisions leading to a Zeno’s Paradox of consistency and inconsistency in mutual synergy. Nor do I need to remind you of the start of Ebenezer Cooke’s early life with his twin sister Anna, their tutor Henry Burlingame and what has already unfolded up to the point I have read. This indeed promises to be the book of a lifetime it always was, and I am now Unconsoled that I had forgotten how truly great it is, outvying all its competitors in my reading life.The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.Above is one of my observations at the time of the review.

When I finished reading this (thick) book, I threw it at the wall because I didn't want it to be over.One of my ten all-time favourite novels. (I am an 80 yr old retired English prof)

grand comic masterpeice

This is a wonderful (adult) book, I believe that a copy should be given to every American so they can truly understand their own history (tongue in cheek!)

This book was THE favoured choice amongst the university crowd of the early 60's. Enjoyable read.