I found Waugh's A Handful of Dust entirely depressing. I laughed (bitterly) in places, and the book certainly held my attention, but it hasn't ranked as highly in my esteem as "Brideshead," "Sword of Honour," or even The Loved One. Now, however, I've been reading some interesting criticism regarding the novel, and I'm starting to believe that there's more to the work than I had originally noticed . . . like the Arthurian theme that apparently runs throughout. I'm thinking of giving A Handful of Dust another read. And, before I do, I want you guys (you delightful, well-read, articulate, and wonderfully opinionated people, you!) to further clue me in on what (if anything) I should be looking for, loving, hating, or just being amused by in Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust.
3 comments:
A Handful of Dust had a profound effect on me, especially the ending. For some reason, the utter hopelessness of the ending ("Shall we have Little Dorrit again tonight?") sent me into a spiral of despair about my own life. This book remains a favorite, though, and I thought the movie adaptation was pretty good.
Yes. I found the ending to be painfully depressing. I read the thing and immediately felt like all of the air had been sucked out the room. I had to flee to the out-of-doors in order to escape suffocation (I've also read the "alternate" ending, and it isn't much better--If at all.) I haven't seen the movie adaptation yet, but if you say it's pretty good, I'll probably try to check it out.
I trust that you've successfully emerged from your "spiral." Those are never any fun.
Oh yes, the spiral is far in the past, but thanks for asking!
Don't get your expectations too high about the movie version... it is "pretty good" mainly in comparison to other Waugh screen adaptations (Brideshead being the notable exception). I didn't think too much of Bright Young Things.
Post a Comment