Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall

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Recommended: Introduction to history of english literature

Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall

Evelyn Waugh was born in 1903. He is not considered to be a

distinguished novelist but his writing is notable because they

satirise much that was bizarre in English society. His father was a

publisher and his first novel, Decline and fall, was published in

1928. It is a satire on the preparatory school industry. It is in the

style and humour of Charles Dickens. Evelyn Waugh achieves his purpose

through exaggeration. He paints characters that are larger than life,

just like Dickens. We also see this method used in today's television

in programmes like "Spitting Image" where gargoyle like images of

prominent personalities behave in an outrageous way. The descriptions

of some of his characters are the larger than life ones made so

popular by Dickens. Mr. Fagan could have came straight out of a

cartoon by 'Mac´; "sunken eyes, and rather long white hair over jet

black eyebrows, his head was very long and swayed lightly as he

spoke". Just like Dickens ' characters, their names often give us

clues to their personalities such as Captain Grimes. In the prelude

Waugh uses a matter-of-fact tone to describe the behaviour of the

Bollinger Club. Dr. Fagan is the headmaster of the school. He is not

really a Doctor; he just says he is to make himself sound important.

He does not openly criticise the atrocious behaviour of this

particular group of grown men, who seen to have important and

responsible jobs. He does, however, show their really irresponsible

behaviour at the reunion by telling us hat the Junior Dean and the

Domestic Bursar expected them to become more and more outrageous as

the evening went on and th...

... middle of paper ...

...ther students argued that there was

cheating going on. There is racism around as well; everyone is shocked

when a black energetic man called chokey escort's-ms beste-chetwynde

to sports day.

Politics and crime is also satirised. In Philbricks story Evelyn Waugh

tells us about Toby crutwell a robber turned MP. Toby Cruttwell stole

many diamonds with Phillbrick. Toby Crutwell turned respectful and

became an MP. Waugh is basically telling the reader that the political

system was corrupt and that they would hire any body even an ex-con.

Waugh obviously intended that Decline and fall should be a comic

novel, but it is also serious because it is a satire. I think this

novel is a good book it keeps the reader focused because the book is

so intriguing you always want to turn the page to see what's going to

happen next.

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