Decline and Fall

Decline and Fall is a novel by the English author Evelyn Waugh. It was his first novel and was based, in part, on his own experience as a teacher in Wales. It was published in 1928.

The novel tells the story of Paul Pennyfeather, an Oxford student expelled for indecent behavior who finds a job teaching at a small public school. From there, he starts off on a series of improbable adventures that eventually land him in prison; and it all ends with him back in the exact place he started off.

Decline and Fall is a satire and contains much of the author's characteristic black humour.

See also:

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire