Point of View

This novel is told from the third-person, dramatic point of view. The author occasionally comments on the proceedings, but he does not enter into the thoughts of the characters. When he wants to indicate a character's frame of mind, he does so by showing what that character does, rather than describing what the individual is thinking. Accordingly, characters will raise their eyebrows, or shudder, or say something to indicate their emotional state. This avoidance of entering a character's thoughts is a good choice for a satirist to make, because Evelyn Waugh's intention in the book is to make fun of all the characters, even though terrible things happen to some of them. If he were to assume the viewpoint of a character, the reader inevitably would begin to either sympathize more with that individual or grow to dislike the person. By keeping out of his characters'...