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Finished ALL of Waugh's novels (6 total in April) Taking ?s (CharlesXII)
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Date: April 13th, 2018 11:51 AM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven Just polished off the last of Unconditional Surrender a few minutes ago. Sword of Honor was rather uneven and it often felt like Waugh was just cobbling together a bunch of scenes rather than a fully cohesive story. Sometimes it was an absurd farce, sometimes a biting satire, sometimes a thoughtful pseudo-memoir, and sometimes a reflection of the decline of an elite Catholic family and the old English elite more generally. Still, none of those facets were bad, and in the end I quite liked the trilogy.
Also, although I didn't make threads about them, I finished The Loved One and Gilbert Pinfold last week. The Loved One was massively 180. Pinfold was interesting, not so much for the mental illness stuff that filled the book, but more for how Waugh used it to frankly discuss his own curmudgeonly personality (and his brothel-going habits as a 20-something)
I still have a big collection of his short fiction to read, which I'm thinking of doing alongside a bunch of short-story collections by other authors in the next few months. I'm at 30 books for the year so I'm on pace to hit 100, I hope.
Final ranking of Waugh novels:
1. Vile Bodies 2. The Loved One 3. A Handful of Dust 4. Decline and Fall 5. Sword of Honor (Officers and Gentlemen > Men at Arms > Unconditional Surrender) 6. Brideshead Revisited 7. Scoop 8. Black Mischief 9. Helena 10. Put Out More Flags 11. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold |
Date: April 13th, 2018 11:52 AM Author: Yapping lay (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832661) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 11:59 AM Author: Marvelous aqua theatre Imagine being Alec Waugh, writing DOZENS of novels and getting dismissed as being less innovative than your little bro. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832705) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:02 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven None of his books even have Wikipedia entries, ouch. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832734) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:01 PM Author: Opaque casino Have you read Ford Madox Ford’s Parades End? Very similar in theme to Sword of Honour. Seems like it must have been an inspiration.
The Loved One is too brutal for me. |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:22 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven I'm familiar with the series but haven't read it. Could be worth checking out in the future but I think I'm good on decaying aristocracy novels for at least a few months. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832904) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:05 PM Author: Gay useless brakes Very good list. I applaud you for having read all of his stuff. I have not. The ordeal is on my short list. I am slowly working through his diaries a few pages at a time before I go to sleep. Very entertaining and you can see parallels with stories that appear in the novels. At times he lifts entire vignettes from what happened "IRL" in the diaries and you can recognize the parallel in the novels.
I like Brideshead much more. I "liked" the Sword of Honor trilogy but very much agree that it was cobbled together and had a lot of disparate stories and scenes that didn't always fit well. Also way too many minor characters to keep track of. Very good cynical reflections on military life that ring true which is part of the humor. I liked some of the parts of the Sword triogy though. I liked uncle Gervase and Ben Ritchie Hook. Also Jumbo trotter. The time when they were on the northern Scottish island for training was entertaining. Apparently there is a movie or tv series about Sword that has daniel craig in it. Not sure where to find it. The 1982 Brideshead production is a truly great production. |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:32 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven I will definitely check out the BBC Brideshead, but I watch so little TV it may take a while.
I admit it feels odd to put Sword above Brideshead, because the latter is definitely more polished, has more fleshed-out characters, etc. But ultimately, Sword of Honor was funnier when it was trying to be funny, and I think the serious bits were at least equal to Brideshead's. |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:10 PM Author: high-end mad-dog skullcap rehab Good timing, I've had his library on my kindle for a while and started with Helena yesterday. Seems I have a few to look forward to, as it's a little lackluster (but realistically a 2 hour read if that, not too bad). (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832799) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:12 PM Author: costumed brunch I'm envious of your ability to finish books so quickly. I feel like I'm a devastatingly slow reader now, unless I'm able to sit and read for 30+ mins and build up some momentum. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832825) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:20 PM Author: high-end mad-dog skullcap rehab I can usually dive straight in and read 100 pages an hour, it does sometimes take 10-20 minutes for my ADD to shut off, but I can read for 8 hrs straight (or at least I did when I was 8 and got the full Narnia hardcover) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832891) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:36 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven It's an ability you can develop. I felt the same way you did, so I started putting my phone in another room and resolving to read for an hour uninterrupted no matter what. After a few sessions of this my smartphone-induced ADD started to dissipate and now it's much easier for me to read for several hours at a stretch. Even better, sometimes I find myself compulsively reading 5-10 pages at work and the like. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833012) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 4:53 AM Author: indecent aquamarine masturbator stag film doubly so given that they are "real" books. pulp is easy to skim, but more dense works are beyond my TTT verbal IQ to speed-read with any retention.
chugging through some translated russian lit now...fuck i'm such a slow-witted dumb now. |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 7:16 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven I should note that I'm definitely not speed-reading. I've been reading a lot of books because I put in the time for it, instead of playing video games or watching TV. I personally suspect most "speed-reading" is flame unless it's really simple stuff, though maybe some people can really do it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35841544) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:17 PM Author: Poppy foreskin current bathroom book is his collected essays, r8 (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35832849) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:38 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven What do his essays typically cover? The only nonfiction I've done by Waugh is his Campion bio. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833028) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:44 PM Author: Poppy foreskin a lot of it is current events stuff, basically a ton of short columns, but they have Waugh's wit (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833067) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 1:15 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven I feel this is a type of writer we've largely lost these days. Guys like Chesterton, Waugh, and even Churchill were novelists AND biographers AND reporters AND essayists AND opinion columnists. Maybe I just don't follow modern fiction enough, but I can't think of anybody in the past 40 years who has really fit that mold. The closest would probably be eccentric bloggers. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833285) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 12:44 PM Author: Poppy foreskin the rest is criticism (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833071) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 1:25 PM Author: Beady-eyed lake location coldplay fan Impressive. Do you read on a kindle? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833354) |
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Date: April 13th, 2018 1:37 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven No, almost all of my reading is physical books. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35833431) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 2:56 AM Author: Garnet impressive boistinker kitchen Why the low Brideshead ranking?
I'd go:
1. Brideshead Revisited
2. Handful of Dust
3. Vile Bodies
4. Scoop
5. Decline and Fall
6. The Loved One
7. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold
8. Black Mischief
Haven't read Helena, Put Out More Flags, or Sword of Honor trilogy yet. |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 4:41 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven Calling it a "low" ranking feels off, as rankings 1-8 were all excellent novels. I just didn't like it as much as the others. My issues, I'd say:
-The religious element is only decently executed. -Charles is a middling narrator at best, and it's not clear why he and Sebastian are such great friends in the first place. -I really really enjoy Waugh's dark comedy and there isn't much of it in Brideshead. All the books above it are hilarious. |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 3:05 AM Author: Chrome House have you watched the brideshead revisited miniseries from 1981? you might enjoy it. sebastian's decline is well-acted and emphasizes the tragedy of the IRON CHAINS of his <><><>alcoholism<><><>.
oh, nevermind, i saw your other reply. but yes, it's a good show. |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 4:42 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven My parents just bought it so I'll probably watch it with them the next time I get home. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35840741) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 4:51 PM Author: Chrome House it has some titties in the episode where sebastian's sister and the main guy meet again on the boat. don't get ambushed by the potential awkwardness of that. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35840775) |
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Date: November 3rd, 2019 12:28 AM Author: Gay useless brakes (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#39063951) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 6:58 PM Author: stirring well-lubricated office pocket flask (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35841454) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 4:52 PM Author: Multi-colored mahogany locus Which was tue jungle one? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35840780) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 5:08 PM Author: Coral self-absorbed heaven A Handful of Dust's last third is in the Amazon. Black Mischief and Scoop are both in Africa. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35840894) |
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Date: April 14th, 2018 5:13 PM Author: Hyperventilating Principal's Office Persian reading is for faggots (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35840950) |
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Date: April 25th, 2018 11:27 AM Author: high-end mad-dog skullcap rehab Just read Helena and Vile Bodies while out on maneuvers. Interesting stuff - although I'm sure I didn't 'get' VB entirely. It's clearly satire, but of what I'm not sure. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3948226&forum_id=2#35916292) |