EBOOK
About
The Balance: A Yarn of the Good Old Days of Broad Trousers and High-Necked Jumpers is one of Evelyn Waugh's earliest short stories, first published in 1926 in the anthology Georgian Stories, edited by his brother Alec Waugh. The piece offers a witty, ironic, and stylistically experimental glimpse into youthful relationships, changing fashions, and the fragile social dynamics of the 1920s.
The story follows Adam, a young man navigating a romantic entanglement with a woman named Imogen Quest. Their relationship-light, emotional, and somewhat theatrical-is explored through a series of conversations, letters, and even a fictional "film script" embedded in the narrative. This playful structure anticipates Waugh's later narrative innovation and satirical flair.
At its heart, The Balance is a commentary on emotional imbalance, the uncertainty of youth, and the performative nature of modern relationships. It also lightly mocks the cultural shifts of post–World War I Britain, particularly the fading Edwardian decorum in the face of jazz-age frivolity.
The story follows Adam, a young man navigating a romantic entanglement with a woman named Imogen Quest. Their relationship-light, emotional, and somewhat theatrical-is explored through a series of conversations, letters, and even a fictional "film script" embedded in the narrative. This playful structure anticipates Waugh's later narrative innovation and satirical flair.
At its heart, The Balance is a commentary on emotional imbalance, the uncertainty of youth, and the performative nature of modern relationships. It also lightly mocks the cultural shifts of post–World War I Britain, particularly the fading Edwardian decorum in the face of jazz-age frivolity.