A Frolic of His Own
William Gaddis · 1922–1998 · United States
Why it matters
A failed playwright suing himself over a stolen play becomes the occasion for a scathing satire of American litigiousness, told almost entirely through unattributed dialogue and embedded court documents. Gaddis's second National Book Award winner turns the legal system into his era's defining absurdity.
At a glance
satirepostmodern
Difficulty 8/10slow pace586 pagesUnattributed dialogue, embedded legal documents, and dense satire demand very close reading.
Deep dive
Why a failed playwright suing over his own stolen play, told entirely through unattributed dialogue and stray legal opinions, turns into Gaddis's fullest satire of a country that's replaced justice with litigation as a form of national theater.
