Waugh, Evelyn,--1903-1966--Criticism and interpretation

Evelyn Waugh began his literary career soon after the end of World War II when the life style he had known all his life, that of the upper class and the aristocratic, was soon to be over. He was distressed at the loss of his world to the modern age. His early works are bitter satires attacking the changes he saw in the people he knew and the world he loved. His first protagonists were flat shallow characters who were totally unaware of the havoc of their world. As Waugh matured, his characters changed and became more realistic and better able to cope with the problems in their lives. The protagonists of the later novels are fully developed and manage their lives very well even though the world is still in a chaotic state. As Waugh matured, he was better able to contend with the problems he faced, and this maturity is reflected in the protagonists of his novels.