why beaver?

[calbert at pop.tiac.net]

The current issue of NYRB has a little piece on the early comic 
novels of Evelyn Waugh (note to malignD - SCOOP is very favorably 
mentioned, but I think Men at Arms was more consistent). Nicoles' 
post regarding The Wasteland reminded me that in this article, the 
author speak of the profound influence of that poem on Waugh. In 
fact, Waugh wrote a novel entitled A Handfull of Dust (cribbing a 
line from the poem), which is alleged to be somewhat autobiographical 
(specifically, the shocking terminus to Waughs first marriage). The 
male character who is done wrong is named Beaver.

love,
cfa