Line #17 Literature/BridesheadRevisited


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8	->''"Its theme -- the operation of divine grace on a group of diverse but closely connected characters -- was perhaps presumptuously large, but I make no apology for it."''
9	-->-- '''Creator/EvelynWaugh''', preface to the 1945 edition
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11	''Brideshead Revisited'' is a 1945 novel by Creator/EvelynWaugh that follows, from the [[TheRoaringTwenties 1920s]] to the early [[TheForties 1940s]], the life and romances of Charles Ryder, a middle class man, most especially his friendship with the Flyte siblings; the lovable, but [[TheAlcoholic dipso]], {{manchild}} Sebastian and his sister Julia, both members of a [[ImpoverishedPatrician decaying]] family of English Roman Catholic aristocrats.
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13	Made into a successful mini-series by ITV in 1981 starring Creator/JeremyIrons as Charles, Creator/AnthonyAndrews as Sebastian and Creator/DianaQuick as Julia (with Creator/LaurenceOlivier as Lord Marchmain and Creator/JohnGielgud as Edward Ryder) and a feature film in 2008 with Creator/MatthewGoode as Charles, Creator/BenWhishaw as Sebastian, and Creator/HayleyAtwell as Julia (with Creator/EmmaThompson as Lady Marchmain).
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16	!!The novel provides examples of:
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18	* TheAlcoholic: Sebastian starts as a young, tormented guy, and a major point in his part of the story is when he becomes an alcoholic. The problem is exacerbated by Sebastian's mother's belief that the only solution is [[MyBelovedSmother ever-tighter supervision]], even though Charles points out that Sebastian drinks less when he feels himself free of his [[BigScrewedUpFamily overwhelming family]], and [[ToxicFriendInfluence Charles and Cordelia enabling his alcoholism by slipping him booze and money they know he'll spend on booze]].
19	* AloofBigBrother: Sebastian's elder brother "Brideshead"[[labelnote:*]]Not his actual name, which is never revealed to the reader, but a shortcut for his title, "Earl of Brideshead" (actually his father's, the Marquess of Marchmain's second title, according to the title rules of English nobility). The fact that he is only ever addressed by his aristocratic title instead of his Christian name DOES correspond with his aloofness and overall character, however.[[/labelnote]] acts so "logically" and "to the point" most of the time that he typically treats his siblings coldly.
20	* AmbiguouslyBi: Charles's relationships with Sebastian and Julia suggest this, although he shows no interest in men other than Sebastian. It's also worth noting that romances between Oxford undergrads were ubiquitous at the time and [[SituationalSexuality not seen as indicative of future orientation]].
21	* AmbiguouslyGay: Sebastian's orientation is never outright stated, but he clearly prefers the company of men -- some of whom are openly gay -- and shows no interest in women.
22	* AmbivalentAnglican: Charles is a [[CulturallyReligious nominal Anglican]] in the way that most of the English upper-middle and upper classes were at the time, but in an earlier part of the book he speculates that actual belief in God has waned significantly since the First World War.
23	* BigFancyHouse: Brideshead itself is an old mansion, with a full staff and enough rooms that Sebastian and Charles can be comfortably away from the rest of the family while Charles visits.
24	* BittersweetEnding: By his own admission, Charles [[spoiler:ends the book homeless, childless, loveless and middle-aged. Lady Marchmain dies knowing she has failed Sebastian; Sebastian never recovers from alcoholism; and Brideshead is robbed of his titular inheritance at the last minute. But for all that, Sebastian's journey through faith has him find peace through his personal suffering, and Lord Marchmain returns to the faith in his final hour and makes a deathbed confession, which inspires Julia to call off her pending adulterous union with Charles. And Samwise and Rex, the closest the book has to antagonists, wind up with their ambitions thwarted.]]
25	* BrickJoke: Early in the book, Mulcaster is involved in hazing of Anthony Blanche. Anthony predicts that the men who did it will remember this while they live boring lives. Halfway through the book, Mulcaster brings up the incident.
26	* CampGay: Anthony Blanche. He is a flamboyantly dressed aesthete who is outspoken about his sexuality and even buys Charles a drink at a gay club at one point.
27	* ComedicSpanking: Sebastian wanted a hairbrush for his teddy bear: not to brush him with, but to threaten him with a spanking when he was sulky.
28	* ConvertingForLove: It's a given that anyone who wants to marry into the Flyte family must convert to Catholicism. Rex Mottram's attempt to do so is an EpicFail--partly because he doesn't give a hang for religion, partly because Cordelia feeds him false information as a joke (he believes, for instance, that you can condemn anyone's soul to Hell by paying the Church a small fee).
29	* CureYourGays: Very ambiguously implied when Rex mentions that the [[spoiler:sanitorium he plans to send Sebastian to treats sex cases as well as alcoholism.]] Lady Marchmain seems to miss this as she responds by wondering about the kind of company [[spoiler:Sebastian]] would have there.
30	* EnsignNewbie: Charles's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Military service is hindered by the clumsy, but well meaning Lieutenant Hooper.
31	* EverybodySmokes: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] given the time period.
32	* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Played straight and then subverted -- Charles initially is little more than an outside observer upon Sebastian and his family, but after the TimeSkip becomes the novel's proper protagonist.
33	* GenteelInterbellumSetting: The bulk of the action takes place between 1923 and 1939.
34	* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: In-universe; Charles is relieved to have a valid reason to hate his wife due to her infidelity but cheerfully abandons his own family for Julia.
35	* HeroicBSOD: Julia has one of these when Lord Brideshead calls her out on her adulterous relationship with Charles.
36	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Charles and Sebastian. [[AmbiguouslyGay Maybe.]]
37	* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Charles consistently refers to Caroline as his ''wife's'' baby, indicating his belief that she is not his daughter but the product of Celia's adultery.
38	* {{Manchild}}: Sebastian is this, at least at the start. Complete with teddy bear.
39	* MinorInjuryOverreaction: Sebastian sends a telegram to Charles saying that he's dying; Charles arrives to find that Sebastian really just broke a tiny bone too unimportant to name.
40	* TheMistress: Cara, Lord Marchmain's mistress.
41	* [[MissingMom Missing Mum]]: Charles's mother passed away when he was young.
42	* TheNotLoveInterest: Sebastian is this to Charles, and the "forerunner" to his later loves.
43	* ParentalAbandonment: Charles doesn't really care for either of his children, emphasized best when [[spoiler:he goes to London to begin his serious affair with Julia instead of returning home to meet his son and daughter, the former who made him a Welcome Home banner for the occasion and the latter who was born when he was away and who he ''never even met!'']]
44	* ThePlan: Arguably played by God, of all people. [[spoiler:Almost all of the characters eventually find religion in the end, despite their attempts to run away]].
45	* SecondLove: Charles's first love is for Sebastian but when Sebastian becomes more distant due to his alcoholism problem, Charles--after an unhappy marriage--ultimately courts Sebastian's sister Julia (which turns out to be another ill-fated relationship). There are shades of the DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest here because Charles notes the striking similarity between Julia and her brother when he first encounters them. Towards the end of the novel, Charles considers his feelings for Sebastian a sort of forerunner to his devotion to Julia.
46	* SettleForSibling: How one can interpret Charles's feelings for Julia.
47	* ShoutOut: To the ''Literature/FatherBrown'' story "The Queer Feet", and in particular Father Brown's line "I caught him, with an unseen hook and an invisible line which is long enough to let him wander to the ends of the world, and still to bring him back with a twitch upon the thread." The invisible line seems to be drawing several of the characters back to Catholicism as the book nears its end.
48	* SpeechImpediment: Blanche, as well as Kurt.
49	* TheSpock: Bridey
50	* TrophyWife: Mottram sees Julia as one and finds himself disappointed after he marries her and finds it going nowhere.
51	* ToxicFriendInfluence: The relationship between Sebastian and Anthony Blanche, as the latter paves the way for Sebastian's entry into the seedy side of university life.
52	%%* WackyFratboyHijinx
53	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Bridey thinks he's made quite the catch with the divorced mother Beryl, but pretty much everyone who meets her is turned off by her appearance and demeanor; multiple people wonder why one of the most eligible bachelors in London chose her.
54	* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: The framing narrative is set during the war, which sees Charles posted to the requisitioned Brideshead and reminiscing about his time with the Flytes.
55	* VillainProtagonist: As the novel progresses, Charles' own lack of moral fiber begins to have an increasingly negative effect on the people around him. [[spoiler:He enables Sebastian's alcoholism, abandons his children and wife to run off with Julia, and becomes more supportive, internally if not vocally, of Lord Marchmain's resistance to confessing his sins as his death approached, as he knew that Julia's faith, if she began to take it seriously once more, was the only thing that stood a real chance of motivating her to cut off their adulterous relationship. For those familiar with St. Augustine, Charles, and other figures like Anthony Blanche, would represent the City of the Devil, which stands at odds with the City of God.]]
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58	!!The mini-series provides examples of:
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60	* TheGhost: In the miniseries, Mrs. Muspratt never quite makes it onscreen.
61	* ToneShift: Most apparent in this adaption, where the first half of the series offers an almost nostalgic window into the lives (and loves) of aristocratic young Englishmen, whereas the second half of the series feels more like a very staid, cold analysis and commentary on religion.
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65	!!The movie provides examples of:
66	* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Cordelia is described in the novel as having grown up plain to the point where Charles is at first disappointed to see her; Felicity Jones, however, is too adorable to ever be considered "plain."
67	* AdaptationalContextChange:
68	** In the novel, Julia's marriage to Rex Mottram is in many ways an act of rebellion, as it happens over her family's objections. In the movie, the family ''want'' her to marry Rex, and agreeing to do so makes Julia seem much more weak and dominated.
69	** In the novel, Jasper warns Charles off of Anglo-Catholics[[labelnote:*]]Anglicans with Catholic sympathies[[/labelnote]] in general, saying "they're all sodomites with unpleasant accents". In the movie, Jasper remarks, "Sodomites, all of them!", but is speaking specifically of the ''Roman'' Catholic Sebastian and Anthony Blanche, turning a piece of rhetorical bigotry into a specific comment on the characters' sexuality.
70	* AdaptationalCurves: Julia is waifish in the books but is played by the much more buxom and curvaceous Hayley Atwell (Emma Thompson fought the demands for Atwell to lose weight for the role). This makes her look a lot less similar to the appropriately waifish Ben Whishaw, eroding one of book!Charles's motivations for falling for her (that she resembles her brother).
71	* AdaptationalVillainy: Lady Marchmain.
72	* ChristianityIsCatholic: Oddly kind of inverted in the film, with the nominal Catholics behaving more like Evangelicals.
73	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Charles learns near the end of the film that Bridey died in the Blitz.]]
74	* SceneryPorn: The movie was filmed on location at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. There are a lot of nice shots of Oxford and Venice, as well.
75	* SiblingTriangle: In the 2008 movie, Sebastian has a thing for Charles, but the latter and Julia are in love. In the book and mini-series, Charles's relationship with Julia comes ten years after the friendship with Sebastian has ended and there are no signs of a love triangle.

Context Literature / BridesheadRevisited