by Kimberly Richardson

Created on: November 17, 2009

British writers seem to have such a penchant for giving readers a view of a world thought hidden to most; a world full of high manners, well played roles, and lives hanging on a single word, threat, or understood promise. This world is for the privileged few and outsiders are rarely welcomed in unless invited. Those of the majority must rely upon novels and diaries of said folk so as to gain a better understanding of what being privileged truly means. One of the better examples of a novel made window is Evelyn Waugh's classic Brideshead Revisited. Woven though the pages is the life of Charles Ryder, a man who evolves from middle class Oxford student to slightly jaded Army officer who is also an artist. He begins his words to us as a young man with no ideas, ambition, or character. He is a blank piece of paper ready to be stained with the ink of Life that comes in the form of Sebastian Flyte, a dandy and fellow Oxford student. Flyte represents hedonism, wealth, beauty, and Art, all of which Ryder desires in his own boring life. The two become fast friends, leading them both towards major adjustments of their lives and the people who are affected by it. Ryder also becomes enamouredof Sebastian's sister, Julia, a woman who reflects Sebastian's own ennui with the world she was born into but with her own twist to the matter at hand. While Ryder is seduced with the completeness that Julia emits, he is also seduced by Sebastian's recklessness and homosexual arousal that throws caution to the wind. In the end, his choice reflects what he had felt all along but it is up to the reader to decide what to do with said realization.

Waugh's writing is clear and precise, not laden down with purple adjectives and unnecessary descriptions; along with Ryder's words, the characters provide their own worth and depth with their movements and interactions with Ryder. The character Anthony Blanche is a clear example as to what Ryder wants in life and dislikes at the same time; the hedonists of Oxford have no shame in what they love to do for it is their nature to be desired and repulsed at the same time. Blanche, the leader of the group, is in love with the world but hates himself and his background, calling himself a dago on many an occasion. He draws Ryder in with tales of Sebastian and his many not so discreet adventures, most of which include drinking, then leaves him with doubts as to how much of his tales were comprised of truth. Are we to trust the leader of the sybarites?

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