A Handful of Dust is Evelyn Waugh's scathing commentary on the well-mannered death struggles of the upper classes - an irrepressibly amusing picture of society politely blowing its own brains out, with a defiant smile. In Decline and Fall, Mr. Waugh has a delightful time taking the sacred cows of England (e.g., the English public school, the traditions od Oxford, British sportsmanship, the titled gentry, the remittance man) for a blithe and madcap ride.

(Key Words: Evelyn Waugh, Novels, Fiction, England, Upper Class, British Public Schools, Oxford University).