The Sot-Weed Factor

The Sot-Weed Factor, picaresque novel by John Barth, originally published in 1960 and revised in 1967. A parody of the historical novel, it is based on and takes its title from a satirical poem published in 1708 by Ebenezer Cooke, who is the protagonist of Barth’s work. The novel’s black humour is derived from its purposeful misuse of conventional literary devices.