Evelyn Waugh, Scoop

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 May 1938

Places

England (Publication/ performance; Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Satire

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Scoop

(1938) is a novel by Evelyn Waugh, set partly in England and partly in the fictional African country of Ishmaelia, named for Ishmael, the outcast son of Abraham in the Book of Genesis. Subtitled

A Novel about Journalists

Scoop

describes the attempts of the world press to cover Ishmaelia’s civil war. The novel is based on Waugh’s experience reporting the Italo-Abyssinian (or Ethiopian) War of 1935-1936 and his travel book about it,

Waugh in Abyssinia

(1936). The characters are realistic, many derived from people acquainted with Waugh.

Scoop

is satirical, however, and Waugh emphasizes the dishonesty of journalists. Generally regarded as the lightest and happiest of his novels,

Scoop

was written at the time of Waugh’s marriage to Laura Herbert, and the book is dedicated to her.

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2581 words

Citation: Wilson, John Howard. "Scoop". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 July 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2222, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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Evelyn Waugh, Scoop

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