Vile Bodies Book

Evelyn Waugh was in his mid-20s when he wrote Vile Bodies (1930), but he had already seen enough of the foibles of the ruling class to provide ammunition for a lifetime of storytelling. Although he hailed from a solidly middle class family, Waugh associated at Oxford with a circle known as the 'Hypocrites Club', and thereafter mingled with the rich and fatuous before marrying Evelyn Gardner, the daughter of a Lord and Lady. Waugh writes with a comical touch, precisely using the sort of characters he more than likely would have associated with in his own life. This novel I would say is somewhere along the lines of a raw satire, which features seemingly farcical and madcap goings-on in London's lavish high society. There are some of the most ridiculously silly character names I have come across, with the likes of Miles Malpractice, Fanny Throbbing, Lottie Crump and Melrose Ape, to name a few.

While there are many happening throughout Vile Bodies, involving gossip columns, parties, and even the Prime Minister, it's recurring theme is one of the 'Bright Young Things', Adam Fenwick Symes, and the hunt for his £1,000, or even £35,000 based on the elusive drunk Major who may have placed a bet on a horse. Adam, a struggling writer, badly wants to wed his lover, Nina, but for that to go ahead he needs the cash, and pays a visit to Nina's forgetful father Colonel Blount, who isn't very good at remembering faces, or much else to be honest. This sets the scene for some dazzling and humorous moments, using a dialogue that utilises the difference in the upper crust set of characters.

The presentation of the Bright Young People is shot through with paradox. Those who populate Vile Bodies drink too much, party too late, sleep too little, and borrow today what they can't pay back tomorrow. But just who are they in the novels own terms? The centre of interest, Adam & Nina are identified from the start as only half-included as a source of money. Well, Nina anyway. And there is nothing particularly remarkable about Adam. In the crowd, he doesn't really stand out, yet somehow hangs out with the wealthy, when he barely had a penny to his name, whereas the supporting cast, even if only briefly spent in the company of, for me, made the novel what it is. A few characters in Vile Bodies find a way to make a decent living off of indecency, mainly as gossip columnists for the London press. The public has an insatiable appetite for garish titbits and
insulting innuendos, and Fleet Street does its best to accommodate their curiosity. But the job of tattle-teller has its drawbacks, and before the midway point of the novel one of the gossip writers takes his own life. Not that Waugh ever draws a set of dark curtains on the reader, even death doesn't change his comical approach.

Often admired for his dark humour, but rarely recognised for the structural innovations of his novels. Waugh writes a titillating tale. From the very start of Vile Bodies he employs a kaleidoscopic technique in which the perspective and personages constantly change. More than twenty characters are introduced in the first round of pages, and although some of them are soon abandoned, he simply has others to take their place in the long run. I found the novel far more humorous than first imagined, where the comedy seemed all the fresher since it embodies a type of attitude that is rarely encountered today. Will need to read more of him though, before completely singing his praises. But a promising start.