Swing and a miss

I've made it through about a third. I guess I need a long flight or something to really get through Dunces.
Speaking of Ignatious, I'm really picturing John Candy's character in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." I think he even wears a similar ear-flap hat. I would even say it is his same type of comedy, funny on a late tuesday night, but generally skippable for a rerun of MythBusters. On the other hand, have we been ruined by all the imitators to really appreciate the original? Should this be regarded higher than it's more recent peers because it was a maverick of it's time?

I'm fine with choosing a new book, but if we choose a real snoozer, I'll probably keep chipping away at Ignatious\John. Maybe I could start doing like I did in high school and only read the first and last page of each chapter. :)