Proposition

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder (1945) was written from February to May in 1944.² Waugh called it his “Magnum Opus ” several times in his letters (LEW 208, 210-11, 218). He wrote to one of his female friends to explain the idea of his new novel on 23 March 1944:

I am writing a ver y beautiful book to bring tears, about very rich, beautiful, high born people who live in palaces and have no troubles except what they make themselves and those are mainl y the demons sex and drink which after all are easy to bear as troubles go nowadays. (LEW 206)

However, we should not understand it onl y as a famil y story of “very rich, beautiful, high born people who live in palaces and have no troubles. ” It is true that the Fl ytes who live in Brideshead are indeed an aristocratic, noble famil y whose members are described as having strong personalities.

Brideshead Revisited is, however, far from being just a melodrama with decadent characters ruined from liquor and love affairs. The theme of the conflict between war and art in Put Out More Flags is clearly succeeded by the events in Brideshead Revisited. Brideshead, an incarnation of

traditional art and beaut y, loses its brilliance in the din and bustle of the war, as Malfrey in Put Out More Flags. The Fl yt e famil y’s ruin is strongl y connected with the atmosphere prevailing in England at that time.

What shoul d never be belittled with Brideshead Revisited is that all the story is narrated by Charles Ryder, the protagonist , as his reminiscence . He is an officer of British arm y, and his troops including his company are now stationed in this magnificent house in the midst of the Second World War. Brideshead symbolizes the glory of old England, which declines graduall y in mid -war time, and finall y gets demeaned by military

occupation in wartime. However, the brilliance of the house becomes more apparent to readers through Charles’ memories. His various relationships with the Fl yt e family at Brideshead brings about his spiritual development.

It is necessary to carefull y observe this standpoint. It leads to Waugh ’s own evaluation of this novel as “a souvenir of the Second War ” (BR x). The meaning of this phrase is considered in the last section of this chapter.

Simultaneousl y, amo ng Waugh’s novels, Brideshead Revisited is the first to deal with the issue of faith during wartime. Religious matters must be carefull y read through this book. The story of Brideshead Revisited develops based on the conversion of Charles to Catholicism. I n order to examine his conversion, it is important to compare the transition of the locations where he lives alongside the change in his soul. In this chapter, three places are examined in relation to his spiritual development. Firstl y, Oxford, the cit y wh ere he lives as a universit y student. Secondl y, London, the cit y where his father ’s house is. It is also the cit y symbolising the wasteland caused by the First World War. Then, finall y, Brideshead is anal yzed as the fateful location which has the character istics of both Oxford and London, and which inspires Charles ’ conversion.

Concerning the locations in Brideshead Revisited, there is a study by Ruth Breeze. Breeze examines the symbolism of the locations in this novel

in her essay, “Places of the Mind: Locating Brideshead Revisited.” She focuses on two of the places, London and Brideshead, comparing the cit y and the countryside. However, to anal yz e this novel in terms of conversion, the comparison of these two cities is not enough. It is vital also to compa re Oxford and London from the stand -point of what are embodied in them. The reasons are discussed below.

There are two reasons why comparing Oxford and London is essential.

Firstl y, in comparison with the fictitious Brideshead, Oxford and London are real places. So, their history and embodiments are connected in English history. In fact, most protagonists in Waugh ’s novels are men of the same age as the author Waugh himself when writing them, and most have English backgrounds from the first half of the twen tieth century, when Waugh

himself spent his young and middle years. Therefore, understanding the thoughts and values shared by English people of that time will also help in understanding his novels. Secondl y, Waugh was especiall y interested in modern societ y after the Fist World War, which was culturally deca yed:

literall y a “Waste Land ”, as it was called by T. S. Eliot in his poem (53 -69).

Waugh’s motif, the decline of this modern societ y, casts a dark and heavy shadow over Brideshead Revisited. Therefore, in order to answer the question why Charles ha s to convert to Catholicism, it is necessary to consider Oxford and London where Charles spen ds his younger days.

Thus, in this chapter, the three locations of the novel are examined in turn with their respective impacts on the protagonist ’s spiritual

development. Firstl y, Oxford, in view of the cit y which will lead to the protagonist ’s conversion. Secondl y, London, i n view of the decayed cit y.

And thirdl y, Brideshead, in view of the consequence of the protagonist ’s

experiences in those two cities.