Decline and Fall
by Evelyn Waugh
Paul Pennyfeater, who was expelled from Oxford for his inappropriate behaviour, strangely qualifies him for the position of manager at Llanabba Castle. His colleagues have a series of false fires, including Prendy (tortured with suspicions) and Captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just drunk). Then comes Sports Day and with it comes the magnificent Margot Beste-Chetvine, which floats in the fragrant breeze. As comedy unfolds and the rebellion of the youth escapes, no one, especially Paul, is safe. Named after Edward Gibbon's The Fall and Fall of the Roman Empire, Evelyn Waugh's first, funniest novel immediately caught public attention with its story of the 1920s high society going abroad in a decadent confusion.
