Vile Bodies is supposed to be one of the most popular novels written by Evelyn Waugh. It became extremely popular after Stephen Fry’s adoption of the book in 2003.
The novel was written in the late 1920s, a period known as an era between two wars. Europe was destroyed after the World War I. In some 10 years European countries would face atrocities of the World War II. Many countries would be destroyed, many cities would be wiped off the map. Old Dresden, Warsaw, London would disappear once and forever. Millions would be killed…
What were during those times of peace? In his book Waugh touches on the problems of the British society. The novel is full of satire and black humor. The English were confused. They couldn’t get rid of the past, they couldn’t get used to the present. And they could hardly expect such future. Their lives were full of nothingness. They were bored and devastated. They simply wasted their lives.
Even though the novel is believed to be one of the best works by Waugh the author himself didn’t think so. In fact Waugh admitted it was his worst work ever written. The style of the novel reminds a patchwork. Waugh was influenced by cinema and different writers of the time. It is quite fair that the novel was “his most self-consciously modern” work. At least Waugh admitted it himself. Some critics are sure that this novel is cinematic one. Waugh’s style could be compared with the principles of the cinema montage. Waugh commenting his own work wrote that “this was the first English novel in which dialogue on the telephone place a large part”. Many describe the novel as extremely fragmented piece of work by Waugh. Indeed sometimes it is difficult to trace the storyline. Anyway his style is brilliant.
