{"product_id":"coffee-and-repartee-and-the-idiot-two-classic-works-by-john-kendrick-bangs-paperback","title":"Coffee and Repartee and The Idiot: Two Classic Works, by John Kendrick Bangs (Paperback)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoffee and Repartee\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Idiot\u003c\/em\u003e are companion pieces of sparkling comic fiction, centered on a series of breakfast-table debates led by an eccentric lodger known only as \"The Idiot.\" Through rapid-fire exchanges, he disarms and delights his more serious-minded companions with a blend of absurd reasoning and earnest charm. What begins as nonsense gradually reveals sly insights into society, intellect, and human behavior. Set in a New York boardinghouse and composed largely of dialogue, these works showcase Bangs's flair for humor and parody in the Gilded Age. The result is a light but layered satire that still entertains with its clever repartee and gentle critique of conventional wisdom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922) was an American author, satirist, and editor of Puck Magazine. Coffee and Repartee and The Idiot are linked novellas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wildside Press LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43184485335249,"sku":"9781434431400","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/5981\/5377\/files\/9781434431400_FC.jpg?v=1784071529","url":"https:\/\/startlingstories.us\/products\/coffee-and-repartee-and-the-idiot-two-classic-works-by-john-kendrick-bangs-paperback","provider":"Startling Stories","version":"1.0","type":"link"}