Evelyn Waugh, Vile Bodies

John Howard Wilson (Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania)

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 Jan 1930

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Recommended Reading

Vile Bodies

(1930) is a novel by Evelyn Waugh, set in the near future (the early 1930s). The action occurs mainly in England, though in the first chapter characters cross the English Channel in a ship, and the ironically entitled “Happy Ending” takes place on a battlefield in what seems to be France. Characters are generally realistic, but

Vile Bodies

is satirical, and Waugh emphasizes their knavery and folly. The effect is often comical, but the tone of the novel is ultimately sad, for the world of

Vile Bodies

is degraded and fallen, and the characters are incapable of improving it. The title comes from the Bible, Philippians 3:21 in the King James Version: Jesus Christ “shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Though the characters are…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2254 words

Citation: Wilson, John Howard. "Vile Bodies". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 June 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8624, accessed 27 November 2024.]

View recommended reading for this article

Evelyn Waugh, Vile Bodies

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback