Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies is a satiric novel set in London between the two World Wars. The novel follows a cast of glamorous, upper-class characters as they navigate relationships, decadent parties, and other debaucheries. At its core, Vile Bodies is an exploration of class and identity in a rapidly changing society.
The novel's protagonist is Adam Fenwick-Symes, a young writer of modest means who is trying to make it in the world of London's upper crust. He's deeply in love with Nina Blount, an American heiress and daughter of a Duke. They decide to marry, but their plans are put on hold when Adam is sent to jail for unspecified debt.
Adam's incarceration sets off a series of events for the other characters, including Lady Circumference, an aging socialite desperate to maintain her place in society, her son David, a dull and pampered aristocrat, and Agatha Runcible, an aspiring young novelist. The characters spend the novel attending parties, gambling, and engaging in other debaucheries, all while trying to make sense of their place in an ever-changing world.
Throughout the novel, Waugh satirizes the frivolity of the upper classes and the desperation of those trying to fit in. He examines the concept of identity in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape, where traditional values and morality have no place. Adam and his friends are buffeted by a dizzying array of parties and gossip, where even the most outrageous behavior is accepted.
At its heart, Vile Bodies is an examination of contemporary life in the 1920s, when the Jazz age was just beginning and traditional ways of life were being challenged. Waugh touches on themes of identity, ambition, class, and religion, while also poking fun at the upper classes and their ridiculous behavior.
The novel was praised for its wit, its sharply drawn characters, and its prediction of a society on the verge of change. Waugh positions his characters in a world of shifting morality, where conventional values are put to the test. Vile Bodies is a clever and often mordant satire that still resonates today.
