Genre
Fiction, Satire
Setting and Context
Oxford, England, Llanabba, Wales
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is that of Paul Pennyfeather.
Tone and Mood
Scathing, satirical, cruel, poking fun
Protagonist and Antagonist
Paul Pennyfeather is the protagonist. His upbringing and duty to finish college are the antagonistic features of his ilfe.
Major Conflict
There is conflict between Paul and the Dean of Scone College when he is caught running drunkenly in college grounds without his pants on.
Climax
Paul fakes his own death and returns to Scone College as a student.
Foreshadowing
Involvement with the heavy drinking Bollinger Club foreshadows Paul's drunken expulsion from Scone.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The title of the book alludes to "The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire" which Waugh studied in college.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
Paul returns to the place where his life first starts to unravel and despite hating the fact that he has to earn a degree in order to keep his inheritance, studies hard in order to do so.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Paul's drinking and the decline in his behavior.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Scone College is the term used to represent the figures of authority and the faculty there.
Personification
Scone is also personified; for example, Scone disapproves of Paul's behavior, when in reality a brick and mortar location cannot pass judgement on anything.
