Classics Club Spin Lands on a Satire
The Classics Club spin gods have been kind to me at last. I was due a break after two duds in succession (Armadale and Fame is the Spur in case you’re wondering).
The winning number was
8
which means I get to read Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. It might actually be a re-read from about 40 years ago but I’m not sure whether I’m mixing it up with Vile Bodies or A Handful of Dust.
Decline and Fall , Waugh’s first published novel, came out in 1928. It’s based, in part, on Waugh’s experience as a teacher in north Wales, taking the tone of a social satire about British society in the 1920s.
The main character is Paul Pennyfeather who gets expelled from Oxford for indecent behaviour. Somehow he manages to get a job as a schoolmaster at Llanabba Castle in Wales (clearly no-one at the school checked if he was a fit and proper person to work with young people). His colleagues are essentially misfits and failures.
Pennyfeather is delighted to be taken out of this atmosphere of failure and despondency, when he’s taken under the wing of the mother of one pupil — the magnificently named Margot Beste-Chetwynde. His association with this wealthy woman results in a series of outrageous experiences for Pennyfeather, each one becoming more unbelievable.
It sounds much more fun than either of the last two spin books. According to the rules of the Classics Club spin I “should” read this book by 2 June 2024.
If any of you have read this, do let me know in the comments what you thought of the book. Am I in for a treat or yet another disappointment??
I’ve watched – I think – two adaptations of this, one a recent-ish film and possibly another as a TV series, and the film was played for laughs. I think I’d’ve preferred to read the Waugh.
Satire is a tricky thing to pull off. Not sure the subtlety would work on the screen
I haven’t read, and I often have a hard time with satire. But I hope it will work for you
Sometimes it works, sometimes it just misses the mark for me entirely
I’ve an old paperback edition of this which probably dates back to when you were reading it, Karen. Hope you enjoy revisiting it.
My old copy fell apart – it was transported from university and then numerous house moves so not surprising really
Well, I read and loved it about 50 years ago. I reckon it would stand up to a re-read!
Hope so!
I read it many years ago, and I loved it because I love a good satire. And Waugh is one of the best.
Glad you got one you fancy! I haven’t read much Waugh, and not for many years, so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of this one.