Evelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall

Ian Littlewood (University of Sussex)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

First circulation or publication Sep 1928

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England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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Decline and Fall

(1928), Evelyn Waugh's first published novel, tells the story of Paul Pennyfeather. Unjustly sent down from Oxford for indecent behaviour, he embarks on a series of adventures which take him first to Llanabba Castle, a grotesque private school in Wales, and then into the fashionable world of Margot Beste-Chetwynde, the rich and glamorous mother of one of his pupils. On the point of getting married to Margot, he is arrested for involvement in the white slave traffic which is the source of her wealth. After a spell in jail, he is released through the agency of Margot's new husband, the Home Secretary Sir Humphrey Maltravers, whereupon he resumes his career as an Oxford undergraduate, studying to become a clergyman. Apart from Paul and Margot, the novel features a…

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654 words

Citation: Littlewood, Ian. "Decline and Fall". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5657, accessed 25 November 2024.]

Evelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall

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