I see "claret" mostly in English fiction and thought they were weak-ass watered down red wines. It took #VincentPrice to explain that those California reds I used to enjoy, like #Zinfandels and #Barberas, are indeed clarets, but the North American custom is to refer to the grape and not the classification.

I'm sorry, #EvelynWaugh, #NancyMitford, #AnthonyTrollope, and #PGWodehouse, for believing for scores of years your characters could not handle real alcohol.

Reading Evelyn Waugh’s Work Suspended last night, I came upon this gem - for context, Atwood (the first speaker) hit Plant’s father with his car, killing him:

“They may send me to prison for this. That’s what happens in this country to a man earning his living. If I’d been driving my own Rolls Royce they’d all be touching their caps. ‘Very regrettable accident,’ they’d be saying. ‘Hope your nerves have not been shocked, Mr Atwater’ - but to a poor man driving a two seater… Mr Plant, your father wouldn’t have wanted me to go to prison.”
“He often expressed the view that all motorists of all classes should be kept permanently in prison.”

#Reading #EvelynWaugh #TheWarOnCars #BanCars #Books #Bookstodon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1981 Version of #EvelynWaugh's novel #BridesheadRevisited with #JeremyIrons #DianaQuick + #AnthonyAndrews

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083390/reference/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

“‘Well,’ asked Paul, 'how are the sports going?'

‘Not very well,’ said Mr Prendergast; 'in fact, they’ve gone.’

'All over?'

‘Yes. You see, none of the boys came back from the first race. They just disappeared behind the trees at the top of the drive. I expect they've gone to change. I don't blame them, I'm sure. It's terribly cold. Still, it was discouraging launching heat after heat and none coming back. Like sending troops into battle, you know.”
Decline and Fall, Evelyn Waugh
#EvelynWaugh

Literarischer #10April

„Die jungen Menschen von heute sollten gelegentlich daran denken, dass sie die alten Herrschaften von morgen sein werden.“

#EvelynWaugh Tod 1966

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: "𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹" 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 -

Absurd and comedic satire on British "appearances" and class with plenty of lowkey digs at other topics along the way. Unfortunately, 100 years later, we are reminded that not all "humor" ages equally well.

https://buff.ly/3PWRDVm

#bookreviews #books #bookworm #readreadread #evelynwaugh #declineandfall #satire #britishhumor #absurdism