The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
Published 1986 · 339 pages · 116,199 words · about 9 hours at an average pace · Literary Fiction
How hard is The Old Devils to read?
The Old Devils scores 68 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 68 out of 100
- The text employs a rich, precise vocabulary, occasionally using literary terms, regional Welsh colloquialisms, and specific jazz terminology. While generally accessible, the frequent inclusion of Welsh names and phrases, alongside nuanced British English idioms, requires an attentive reader.
- Sentence structure: 75 out of 100
- Sentences are frequently long and multi-clausal, often incorporating parenthetical remarks and complex subordination to convey detailed observations and internal monologues. This sustained complexity, though grammatically sound, demands careful parsing from the reader.
- Abstraction: 78 out of 100
- The narrative consistently moves beyond concrete events to explore philosophical and social themes through character introspection and dialogue. Characters frequently articulate abstract ideas about Welsh identity, aging, marriage, and cultural change, using personal experiences to probe deeper meanings.
- Information density: 82 out of 100
- The text is packed with layered character interactions, intricate backstories, and subtle social commentary, often conveyed through subtext and implicit cues. Readers must actively process a high volume of psychological detail and cultural references to fully grasp the nuances of relationships and motivations.
- Narrative indirection: 68 out of 100
- The narrative frequently presents characters' thoughts and observations, requiring readers to infer the deeper emotional currents and unspoken histories, particularly regarding past affairs and complex marital dynamics. While not overtly experimental, the text relies on subtle cues and subjective interpretations to reveal the full scope of relationships and motivations, similar to how Nick's bias shapes *The Great Gatsby*.
- Symbolic density: 48 out of 100
- While specific places and objects like the modernized pubs or the Brydan monument carry thematic weight about Welsh identity and change, their significance is often explicitly discussed by characters rather than subtly implied. The text uses these elements as concrete examples of cultural shifts, with only occasional, minor symbolic moments like Peter's struggle with the grapefruit, placing it above direct experience but below dense allegory.
- Ironic distance: 80 out of 100
- The novel is steeped in a dry, satirical wit, with the narrator frequently highlighting characters' self-delusions and hypocrisies through wry observations and pointed descriptions. Alun's grandiosity and Muriel's cutting remarks are often presented with a clear ironic distance, requiring the reader to discern the author's critical stance beneath the surface. This pervasive ironic tone is a core element of the book's style, akin to the satirical edge found in *The Sellout*.
- Resolution withholding: 70 out of 100
- While individual plot points within the excerpt find temporary conclusions, the deeper emotional and relational conflicts among the aging characters remain largely unresolved. The narrative emphasizes recurring patterns and lingering regrets, suggesting that true closure for their complex histories and personal struggles is perpetually withheld, similar to the open-ended emotional landscape of *Lolita*.
- Structural complexity: 60 out of 100
- The novel employs a multi-perspective structure, with chapters often shifting focalization between several main characters, requiring readers to track distinct internal lives and viewpoints. While not overtly experimental with fragmented chronology or non-linear timelines, these frequent shifts in perspective and internal reflections add a moderate layer of structural complexity beyond a simple linear narrative.
How The Old Devils is regarded
The Old Devils holds a literary regard score of 55 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.