Evil projectiles; Loved ones

Author: Evelyn Waugh
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: Evelyn Waugh is hailed as "one of the most destructive and productive satirical novelists in the history of English literature." This book consists of two of his masterpieces. The Evil of the Center was his first major success. After World War I, a new generation of young people emerged in British society, known as the "flappers." Beneath their surface glamour, they were wild, impulsive, unpredictable, and sensitive. Blending innocence with cunning, they eagerly sought wealth, excitement, and the fulfillment of subconscious desires, throwing their sharp minds and evil bodies into a series of mischievous schemes. The Evil of the Center portrays a gallery of characters in these farces. The instability of the protagonist, Adam, is also a common trait of post-war British youth, which is why it is considered "a rare gem of novels that seem to summarize and define an era, much like The Great Gatsby." The New York Times Book Review wrote: "It remains one of the most fascinating books in the world." In his diary after a trip to the United States in 1947, he wrote: "I discovered a literary gold mine in Forest Lawn Cemetery and the funeral industry, and I intend to start right away." The Loved One is set against the unique backdrop of Hollywood's "Whispering Pines" Cemetery, painting a picture of a modern-day hell of moral decay and the absence of values. Despite its brevity and satirical tone, the novel creates a shocking and thought-provoking effect, powerfully satirizing the superficiality and vulgarity of Western modern civilization, the decline and collapse of institutions, and the shameless behavior rampant in society, making it a truly brilliant work.