Petik.net - Brideshead Revisited is a novel by the renowned English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It is widely considered to be his masterpiece, as well as one of the most influential and celebrated novels of the 20th century.
The novel tells the story of Charles Ryder, a young man who becomes fascinated by the Flytes, a wealthy and eccentric Catholic family who live in a magnificent mansion called Brideshead Castle.
Through his friendship with Sebastian, the youngest son of the family, and his love affair with Julia, the eldest daughter, Charles witnesses the rise and fall of the Flytes, as well as the changes in the British society and culture before and after the Second World War.
The novel is divided into three parts, each corresponding to a different phase of Charles's life and relationship with the Flytes.
The first part, “Et in Arcadia Ego”, covers Charles's years at Oxford University in the 1920s, where he meets Sebastian and is introduced to his glamorous and decadent circle of friends, including the flamboyant Anthony Blanche.
Charles is also invited to Brideshead for the first time, where he is enchanted by the beauty and history of the place, as well as by Julia, who is already married to a dull and unfaithful politician.
The second part, “Brideshead Deserted”, follows Charles's career as a painter and his travels around the world in the 1930s, during which he loses contact with Sebastian, who becomes an alcoholic and a wanderer, and rekindles his romance with Julia, who divorces her husband and plans to marry Charles.
However, their happiness is threatened by the religious and moral conflicts that arise from Julia's Catholic upbringing and Charles's atheism.
The third part, “A Twitch Upon the Thread”, takes place during the Second World War, when Charles, now a captain in the army, returns to Brideshead, which has been requisitioned by the military.
There, he learns about the fate of the Flytes, who have undergone various transformations and tragedies, and he also experiences a spiritual awakening that leads him to embrace Catholicism.
Follow us on
