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Brideshead Revisited

Evelyn Waugh

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Why we're reading this: July 2020 New School Classic Group Read
[close] July 2020 New School Classic Group Read

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

The Stepford Wives - Spoilers
By Lynn , New School Classics · 16 posts · 45 views

last updated Sep 29, 2025 01:54PM

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last updated Sep 15, 2025 11:39AM

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What Members Thought

May 09, 2020 Julie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fin-2020, 1940s-fiction

I began this book with high expectations, perhaps too high. While exquisitely written, the book suffered from having horrible lead characters. As a reader, I don't need to like the characters in order to love a book. I've loved many a book with characters I would never want to run across in real life.

The problem arises when the author expects the reader to identify with and approve of his character's thoughts and actions. Obviously, Charles Ryder is a stand-in for the beliefs of Waugh himself. I began this book with high expectations, perhaps too high. While exquisitely written, the book suffered from having horrible lead characters. As a reader, I don't need to like the characters in order to love a book. I've loved many a book with characters I would never want to run across in real life.

The problem arises when the author expects the reader to identify with and approve of his character's thoughts and actions. Obviously, Charles Ryder is a stand-in for the beliefs of Waugh himself. Waugh is on record as saying he wrote the book as a testament to his conversion to Catholicism. Yes, there is that theme, but the predominant theme is that of social class and how by birth/nature one group is inherently better than others. Waugh/Ryder is a huge fan of the aristocracy and looks askance at the move in postwar society to rewarding meritocracy instead of rewarding those being born to wealth and high class.

My little lower class, Scots-Irish Protestant self couldn't get behind what Waugh was selling. Obviously , Rex was meant to represent the new louche, inferior sort of man, the man who works for a living instead of inheriting wealth & land. The problem was, as a reader, I identified more with Rex than Charles. While everyone was dithering about Sebastian, wringing their hands, Rex suggested a rehab clinic and offered to transport him. He tried to teach Julia how to invest money wisely, but she couldn't be bothered. I kept thinking of that Downton Abbey scene when Maggie Smith asks the dinner table "What....is a weekend?" All of the Flytes are like that, completely clueless about the real world.

I also couldn't stand the casual cruelty of Charles. His mocking of Bridey, his complete lack of interest in his children, his rudeness & coldness to his wife. UGH. I also hated when he called Anthony Blanche a pansy. Oh, how quickly we forget, Charles! He was like a LUG(lesbian until graduation), playing at being rebellious and 'wicked' while in college but reforming later in life. At least Anthony was always honest about who he was. I also got the impression that Anthony was another character I was supposed to look down upon, but to me he was one of the bright points in this turgid story. I perked up whenever he made his brief appearances.

Don't get me started on the creepiness of Charles having affairs with twins! His comments on how similar they looked, how androgenous Julia & Sebastian looked...it was unsettling. And why is the fact that Julia and Sebastian are twins downplayed so much? Why are they not closer? It's seems like the only reason Waugh made them twins was to explain the attraction Charles felt towards both of them. I liked the bitchy comment their father made to Charles at one point, about how attracted he seemed to be to his children.

I'm sad that I didn't love this book. I really really wanted to. ...more

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