Waugh in the Media

A discussion of Waugh’s novel Scoop takes place in a recent episode of the Federalist Radio Hour. This involves an interview of Christopher Scalia by presenter Ben Domenech. Scalia begins by explaining, inter alia,  his background as an academic and nearly 8 years teaching English Literature at the Wise, VA branch of the University of Virginia. The predicate for the discussion is Scalia’s recent article in the Washington Post recommending Scoop as an alternative to the dystopian novels such as 1984 which are proving popular in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency. See previous post. This discussion begins at about the 42:00 minute mark of a 55:00 minute broadcast. At one point Scalia illustrates the importance of making the public understand that they should put the media into proper perspective. He quotes Corker from the novel where the reporter attempts to explain to William Boot the basis for the media’s unjustifiably high estimation of itself. This is intended as a useful reminder to today’s equally self-inflated media.

In another interview widely reported in the gossip columns, actress Emma Thompson recalls having nearly walked out on the 2008 production of Brideshead Revisited in which she played Teresa Flyte. Thompson’s outrage was raised by the proposal made to one of the other female cast members (unnamed) to lose some weight before proceeding with her role.

Brideshead Revisited also makes an appearance on a website supported by the spirits industry. This recommends a top 10 list of spirit-based drinks with a literary background: 

In Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, the character of Anthony Blanche is a flamboyant and “overt homosexual”. Witty and charming, we are told “his vices flourished less in the pursuit of pleasure than in the wish to shock”. One of his such vices was a fondness for an Alexander cocktail, a blend of gin, cream and creme de cacao. Waugh himself, however, favoured beer or claret.

Waugh might well have put champagne (even when mixed with some form of spirits into a cocktail) ahead of beer or claret, which would normally be drunk with a meal rather than beforehand. 

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This entry was posted in Academia, Adaptations, Brideshead Revisited, Film, Interviews, Newspapers, Radio Programs, Scoop and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.