# VI explained — Vile Bodies

> Chapter companion for Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh.

## What happens

At Lady Metroland's party, the Angels (Mrs. Ape's choir) wait nervously in the schoolroom, bickering among themselves and pinching Chastity for riding with Mrs. Panrast. Guests arrive, including Lady Circumference and the Bright Young People. Mrs. Ape delivers a stirring oration on Hope, causing self-doubt in the audience until Lady Circumference snorts 'What a damned impudent woman,' breaking the spell. Meanwhile, Father Rothschild, Mr. Outrage, and Lord Metroland conspire in the study, suspicious of a bearded man who bows to empty spaces. Adam and Nina sit together, bored, while gossip circulates about Nina's changed appearance and Edward Throbbing's return.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Moral Vacuity

The Angels' petty squabbling and pinching contrast with their religious roles, while Mrs. Ape's oration manipulates guilt for spectacle.

### Class and Snobbery

Lady Circumference's disdain for Mrs. Ape ('What a damned impudent woman') and the servants' debate over the Angels' status highlight class divisions.

### Media and Celebrity Culture

Lord Vanburgh slips out to telephone 'racy paragraphs about fashionable piety,' and Lord Monomark's papers are mentioned as sources of gossip.

## Character check-ins

### Chastity

Pinched and third-degreed by the other Angels for riding with Mrs. Panrast; she loses her air of superiority.

### Mrs. Melrose Ape

Delivers a powerful oration about Hope, captivating the audience until Lady Circumference interrupts.

### Lady Circumference

Arrives in goloshes and diamonds; snorts 'What a damned impudent woman,' breaking Mrs. Ape's spell.

### Adam Fenwick-Symes

Sits next to Nina at the party, feeling bored.

### Nina Blount

Sits with Adam, expresses boredom; Lady Throbbing notes she looks 'a little changed.'

### Father Rothschild S.J.

Conspires with Mr. Outrage and Lord Metroland in the study, suspicious of a bearded man bowing to empty places.

## Key lines

> What a damned impudent woman

Lady Circumference loudly condemns Mrs. Ape as an insolent woman.

_This exclamation breaks the hypnotic effect of Mrs. Ape's oration and signals the failure of the performance among the aristocratic guests._

> She's got 'em again

Creative Endeavour observes that Mrs. Ape has once again captivated the audience.

_Reflects the Angels' awareness of Mrs. Ape's manipulative power over the crowd._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se/chapters/vi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vile_bodies_se/chapters