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

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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…

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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 23 April 2024.]

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Evelyn Waugh, Vile Bodies

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