On Dying and Diets (among other things)...

So we chose this book because I believe it was the Waugh novel neither Kerry nor I had read. Having come from "Handful of Dust" myself, I was glad to be reacquainted with Waugh's sharp humor and incredible word choice, all bundled into a tiny package of death and Hollywood.

There are a couple of quotes from the book I brought up at our cooking session that I'd like to revisit:

"We limeys have to stick together. You shouldn't hide yourself away, Frank, you old hermit." (p6)
I'm not a "limey," exactly, but I have left my country for the US, and can say that Asians have the whole "sticking together" mentality down pat. It's important, I agree, to retain a level of familiarity with tradition, but not at the cost of assimilating into society. It's a fine line, cricket in the morning and tea and scones in the afternoon is just dandy, as long as it doesn't mean you're never going to step into Starbucks.

"Clever chap, but he went completely native - wore ready-made shoes, and a belt instead of braces..." (p11)
I was amused, throughout the book, by Waugh's portrayal of what it means to be American. Such as this little bit here.

"...he came of a generation which enjoys a vicarious intimacy with death." (p37)
With a continuous stream of exposure to violence via media, I can't help but wonder if this statement continues to be true for our generation, though in a different sense. Waugh refers to the effects of the world wars on Dennis' generation; we. too, have our wars, fought on the other end of the world but brought into our homes on the television. Our siblings, we ourselves, have played war games (Halo, anyone?) and while this is not a rant about the negative impact of violence in video games, I can't help but wonder what having such a familiarity with death and violence can do to our generation.

"I presume the Loved One was Caucasian?"
"No, why would you think that? He was purely English." (p45)
*snicker*

"My memory's very bad for live faces." (p87)
Don't we all know that person that gets so involved in their work that they have no life outside the realm of a job?

"Why, my dear girl, it's only money that has been holding me back. Now you can keep me, there's nothing to stop us." (p110)
Marriage was originally an economic union; as "love" became a determining factor, the value of marriage as a means of economic stability dwindled. If deemed once again as an economic union in the eyes of the law, issues like "gay marriage" would be placed in a whole new light - without the argument for or against the ability of homosexuals to love each other in the same way heterosexuals do, without the argument for or against the "correctness" (moral or religious) of homosexuality, the only debate remains: can two men support each other economically in the same way a man and woman can?

"The cigarettes Mr. Slump smoked were prepared by doctors, so the advertisements declared, with the sole purpose of protecting his respiratory system." (p118)
This reminds me of the Woody Allen movie "Sleeper," where his character wakes up a couple of hundred years after being frozen, to find that in the future, science has proved that salad is actually what deprived humanity of enough nutrients, and eating steak and fries every night for dinner results in a healthier, longer life. Our society is preoccupied with diets, because of our preoccupation with appearance. The consumer-hungry nature we possess results in the plethora of diet options, all "medically" proven to be successful solutions to our weight-loss issues. Will we, too, learn that our cigarettes (diets) are no longer good for us?

"Your little Aimee is wagging her tail in heaven tonight, thinking of you." (p163)
What an appropriate ending.