The Bright Young People
The original title of the novel was to “Bright Young Things.” The vestiges of the title change appear various times in the novels (capitalized for effect) as “Bright Young People.” This becomes a metaphor not just for the youth of England, but to be applied especially to that segment of young Londoners personifying what many saw as the decadence of post-World War I society.
Generation Contagion
The satire directed toward the bright young people is not limited merely to their behavior. The author also subtly pokes fun at those older Britons who expressed disgust at the decadent behavior of them, but were eager to make that behavior the subject of any discussion:
"The topic of the Younger Generation spread through the company like a yawn."
Lottie Curmp
Large-scale metaphors is not the only means to which the author uses figurative language. This is a novel populated with many characters and as a matter of mere efficiency if nothing else, similes come in handy for a quick delineation of personality and appearance. Such as this description of Lottie Crump who was:
“a fine figure of a woman, singularly unscathed by any sort of misfortune and superbly oblivious of those changes in the social order which agitate the more observant grandes dames of her period.”
A Description of a House
Just about everything in this novel is metaphorical to one degree or another. It is a satire of society and so society itself becomes the subject. But what is society? Short answer: everything. When delving into such a metaphor-rich allegorical state of mind, it is easy to get carried away sometimes. For the record: the following is a description of a house. This needs to be noted because by the time one gets to the end of the sentence, one may well have forgotten:
“This last survivor of the noble town houses of London was, in its time, of dominating and august dimensions, and even now, when it had become a mere `picturesque bit’ lurking in a ravine between concrete skyscrapers, its pillared façade, standing back from the street and obscured by railings and some wisps of foliage, had grace and dignity and other-worldliness enough to cause a flutter or two in Mrs. Hoop's heart as she drove into the forecourt.”
The Prime Minister
The Bright Young Things and Victorians clucking their tongues at the Edwardians are not the only objects of satire. Waugh aims his arrows at political figures as well, with the Prime Minister being named Mr. Outrage, which is itself a matter of satirical irony since he is portrayed as being too dumb to be outraged and obsessed with pumping up himself:
“Oh for words! For words! That massed treasury of speech that was his to squander at will, to send bowling and spinning in golden pieces over the floor of the House of Commons; that glorious largesse of vocables he cast far and wide, in ringing handfuls about his constituency!”
