'The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold' by Evelyn Waugh is a unique autobiographical piece inspired by Waugh's personal experiences with temporary slight schizophrenia due to excessive use of prescribed medications. It depicts Gilbert Pinfold's nightmarish journey on a freighter to Ceylon, filled with auditory hallucinations and fascinating mental perceptions. Despite the entertaining narrative, some readers felt that the story lacked Waugh's signature black humor and sustained character development. However, the book provides a deep insight into Gilbert's struggles with demons that represent his personal insecurities and past regrets.

Characters:

The central character, Pinfold, is intricately portrayed as a man grappling with his own psychological demons, with limited but notable supporting characters.

Writing/Prose:

The prose combines Waugh's signature dry humor with poignant and stunning descriptions, although some elements may seem unusually serious for his style.

Plot/Storyline:

The storyline revolves around a man's tumultuous journey on a freighter, delving into his mental struggles and experiences of hallucination.

Setting:

The setting centers around a freighter journey to Ceylon, with elements of isolation that enhance the narrative's psychological tension.

Pacing:

The pacing is marked by a repetitive cycle of torment, where intensity rises without substantial variation, leading to a sluggish narrative progression.

It may happen in the next hundred years that the English novelists of the present day will come to be valued as we now value the artists and craftsmen of the late eighteenth century. The originators, ...

Notes:

The novel is based on Evelyn Waugh's own experience with a psychotic episode.

Waugh faced hallucinations during a sea voyage to Asia.

The book describes his struggle with imagined demons while battling alcoholism.

It offers a candid look at Waugh's personal insecurities and struggles post-war.

Some readers found it lacking Waugh's typical black humor.

The work was inspired by a suggestion from Waugh's psychiatrist.

The narrative follows Gilbert Pinfold's mental unraveling in detail.

Many found the book repetitive, focusing on Pinfold's torment.

Despite its dark themes, some readers found it entertaining and humorous.

The writing is described as breathtakingly beautiful by some readers.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book contains content related to mental illness, psychosis, and hallucinations, warranting a high content warning.

From The Publisher:

This disquieting, sharply comic novel recounts a period of mental breakdown in the life of Gilbert Pinfold, an established novelist of mature years

An inability to control his fantasies sends Gilbert Pinfold, a well-known author, cruising on a Ceylon-bound liner to recuperate. Yet, to his horror, the hallucinations increase and life on board becomes very embarrassing. This curious and diverting novel throws new light on Evelyn Waugh's remarkable talent.

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The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold?

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About the Author:

Evelyn Waugh was born in Hampstead in 1903 and educated at Hertford College, Oxford. In 1928 he published his first novel, Decline and Fall, which was soon followed by Vile Bodies, Black Mischief (1932), A Handful of Dust (1934) and Scoop (1938). During these years he also travelled extensively and converted to Catholicism. In 1939 Waugh was commissioned in the Royal Marines and later transferred to the Royal Horse Guards, experiences which informed his Sword of Honour trilogy (1952-61). His most famous novel, Brideshead Revisited (1945), was written while on leave from the army. Waugh died in 1966.

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The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold

Evelyn Waugh