Coffee and Repartee and The Idiot

<p><em>Coffee and Repartee</em> and <em>The Idiot</em> 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.</p><p>John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922) was an American author satirist and editor of Puck Magazine. Coffee and Repartee and The Idiot are linked novellas.</p>