by Evelyn Waugh
First published 2005
Paul Pennyfeather's life implodes after a bizarre disciplinary incident at Oxford. Stripped of his prospects, he tumbles into a surreal teaching job at a third-rate Welsh boarding school populated by deranged students and incompetent administrators. When a scandalous incident forces him abroad, Paul becomes entangled in an increasingly ridiculous series of misadventures—from prison to high society—that expose the brittle facade of British class systems. Each escape only leads him deeper into more outrageous circumstances, where his passive nature becomes both his salvation and his curse. Waugh's razor-sharp satire transforms personal misfortune into a hilarious indictment of institutional absurdity.
Genres: satire, 20th-century, british-literature, comedy, academia
Vibes: satirical, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, passive-protagonist
Setting: Britain
Period: 20th-century
300 pages · Paperback · Kessinger Publishing