Decline and Fall
After walking into to a prank by some good ol' boys, Paul Pennyfeather is sent down from Scone College for 'indecent behavior', a blow that he takes without too much fuss. His guardian denies him his allowance and he is sent off to teach at a public school far enough down the ladder to not inquire too closely into his background.
'Decline and Fall' is Paul's coast through the tribulations of public school, high society, bribery, prison, and faith. Very little appears to touch him. He likes his friends and some of the students, but there is little genuine enthusiasm from him except for the occasional trip out to the tavern.
The joy in the novel comes from the grubby self-interest of the upper classes and the blatant disregard they have for the conventional rules of decency and fair play. They're absolutely terrible and modern popular culture is about little else but terrible people. Waugh doesn't try to sell them as anything else. I liked it as much as 'Brideshead Revisited', but its a very different kind of book.
