The 20th century consisted of vast changes in themes and values compared to previous decades of writing. This change is due to the world catastrophes and modernization affecting the overall perspective on life and humanity. One writer’s novel that demonstrates progression and changes in the 20th century is Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust. He is compared to other 20th century authors, as well as previous novels in his collection, due to his satirical focus and significant change in style and themes. He focused on the truth of humanity based on his own opinions and experiences to convey the message of the importance of tradition and true understanding of modernism. Waugh’s novel, A Handful of Dust, is described as one of the most interesting pieces of literature by several critics, and is considered “as one of the most important English writers of the Twentieth Century” (Trout 237).
The overall affect of the novel caused astonishment, due to the amount of satire and religion and philosophy that appears in the novel, unlike any previous works Waugh wrote. Also, the amazing difference in style, themes, and the important involvement of Charles Dickens in the novel affected the audience greatly. The importance of the novel proves as one of the few “detailed studies of contemporary West End and country-house culture” (Garnett 102). It provides a solid look into the 20th century life and writing style, as well as the transformation of writers’ due to personal grievances and decisions. Before writing this novel, Waugh had converted to Roman Catholicism, thus the reason for religious themes and morality significance in A Handful of Dust. Also, Waugh was dealing with personal issues, such as marriage troubles and the inability to find hims...
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The postwar England of the twenties and thirties was the setting of Evelyn Waugh’s first satirical novels, among which was the Vile Bodies. Waugh, an author mostly known for his highly satirical fiction, published his novel Vile Bodies in 1930 right in the middle of the time-period between the Great Wars. Because of the historical evens that occupied England at that time, much of British Literature of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s was concerned with the Modernist movement, which was occupied with the idea of individualism of the young generation. Through the use of prominent and yet highly satirical characters, Waugh strives to criticize his Modernist generation for its unsuccessful movement into Modernism, both on the individual and political/institutional level. He does so by defining his type-characters as ignorant, self-centered and hypocritical in their disastrous movement toward individualism.
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