Brideshead Revisited in A Book Walks Into a Bar

Jul 29, 2016 Travis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5 stars

Brideshead Revisted really wasn't my cup of tea. There's not much narrative here, no real plot to speak of, and that's not something to which I normally object. I enjoy a good character study, but most of the characters, frankly, just aren't that interesting. Two of the most fascinating characters, Sebastian and Anthony Blanche, receive rather short shrift: Anthony only shows up in a half dozen or so scenes, and Sebastian completely disappears (save for being referenced in absentia) fro 2.5 stars

Brideshead Revisted really wasn't my cup of tea. There's not much narrative here, no real plot to speak of, and that's not something to which I normally object. I enjoy a good character study, but most of the characters, frankly, just aren't that interesting. Two of the most fascinating characters, Sebastian and Anthony Blanche, receive rather short shrift: Anthony only shows up in a half dozen or so scenes, and Sebastian completely disappears (save for being referenced in absentia) from the second half of the novel. And even in the first half the novel where Sebastian plays a prominent role, the focus is still more on the narrator, Charles.

I enjoyed the first half of the novel, focusing on Charles and Sebastian's friendship and their years at Oxford, much more than the latter half, which was the story of Charles and Julia's affair. Of course, there is the question of whether Charles and Sebastian are having a romantic affair. I thought it was fairly obvious that they were involved, with Charles much more smitten with Sebastian and Sebastian considering Charles more of a dalliance. Of course, Waugh never makes explicit that the two young men are sexually involved but only provides hints at it. On the one hand, I found this a bit frustrating because I was hoping to see a full-fledged romance, yet on the other hand, I liked that Waugh did not feel the need to spell out in plain language what was so clearly (at least to me) going on. Leaving Sebastian and Charles's relationship somewhat in the dark (metaphorically) ultimately did work for me.

What didn't work, however, was the later affair between Julia and Charles. There was just no real spark and no passion to their affair. And the affair was presented as though it were inevitable, as though there had been some attraction between Charles and Julia ten years previously when they were young and spending time at Brideshead, but during that period, Julia expressed no hint of romantic interest in Charles as she was completely wrapped up in her courtship with Rex, and Waugh only on one or two occasions briefly suggests that Charles is interested in Julia, and Waugh makes it seem that what interest Charles has in Julia is basically transference from his love of her brother and his best friend Sebastian, so I just did not see anything in their early years that pointed to the affair that would take place a decade later.

The affair itself was staid and boring. Charles's wife, Celia, had already cheated on him once and did so again during the marriage. Julia was just coming off a failed affair when she and Charles began theirs, and Rex did not care at all about Julia and Charles's affair. Despite all of these adulterous liaisons, there was no heat or passion or anger. It all seemed very cold.

In addition to the coldness of the marriages and affairs, I was especially struck by just how cold Charles was toward his children: after his Latin American excursion, he showed absolutely no interest in seeing his daughter, who was born while he was away, nor in seeing his young son. In fact, he seemed not just cold but actively not to want to see his children. He was more interested in his affair with Julia than with connecting with his children. I found his lack of any genuine love for his children quite revolting.

The final scenes (prior to the epilogue) were actually a great improvement on the earlier narrative. The arguments between Julia and Charles about whether and why to admit a priest to see a dying Lord Marchmain, a man who had spent his life spurning his wife and family's Catholicism, made for good drama, but this was barely a few pages at the end of the novel.

Brideshead Revisted also disappointed as it fails to live up to its reputation as some grand treatise about religion. Religion (the Roman Catholicism of the Flytes) is important ritualistically and as the ostensible guarantor (especially and obviously evident in Lord Marchmain's deathbed scene) of salvation after death, but there are no engaging conversations upon and no narrative digressions about religion and its place in life. We are just told over and over that religion is important to the Flytes. Well, religion is important to most humans on the planet. That's not any big revelation. Waugh does not draw out religion or throw any special light on it in this novel. It is a more of a prop for highlighting areas of conflict between the characters, but religion is never seriously addressed in its own right.

As classics go, I would have to say that this is one that, at least in my humble estimation, really has no place in the canon of great literature. There are no great lessons learned from this novel. There is no epic and moving friendship (that fizzles far too early) or great and tragic love story. There are no enduring and memorable characters. And there is no actual story here.

This is not to say that this is a terrible novel. It's not. There are many good scenes with interesting dialogue and reflection, but Brideshead Revisited is simply not exceptional, not what one would expect from a classic. ...more

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Aug 04, 2016 Sara rated it did not like it

"Hate" is a strong word, so I will say that I really really really didn't like it. I am still shocked that this book has made it into "Top 100 Classics" lists. To put it simply- it was BORING. Nothing really happens; the plot is completely lacking. Just when you think something juicy might finally happen, the author glides right over the situation and moves on. To be fair, there are some novels that don't really have a plot and are, therefore, more of a character study. That would be fine with m ...more

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Dec 06, 2016 Casey rated it really liked it

This is not usually the kind of thing I'm into reading, but I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jeremy Irons, and I loved it! I could listen to Irons's voice all day long, and it was even better listening to him read Waugh's exquisite prose. A beautifully written novel narrated by an expert voice actor. ...more

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Jul 06, 2016 fcorsairs rated it it was ok

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Nov 05, 2011 Andrea Taylor rated it it was amazing

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