Evelyn Waugh, A Handful of Dust

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 1934

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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A Handful of Dust

(1934) marks a turning point in Waugh's fiction. Harsher and more serious in intent than its predecessors, it looks towards the themes of the post-war novels. The book's hero, Tony Last, lives a life of dull but satisfying routine as the owner of Hetton Abbey, a large Victorian-Gothic house regarded by many as a monstrosity but loved by Tony himself. At the start of the novel, his friend Jock Grant-Menzies sums up the situation: “I often think Tony Last's one of the happiest men I know. He's got just enough money, loves the place, one son he's crazy about, devoted wife, not a worry in the world.” But fortune's wheel is about to turn. Tony's wife Brenda is in reality less devoted than Grant-Menzies imagines. Hankering after the social excitements of London, she drifts…

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1044 words

Citation: Littlewood, Ian. "A Handful of Dust". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7143, accessed 25 November 2024.]

Evelyn Waugh, A Handful of Dust

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