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52 pages 1 hour read

Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1945

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Essay Topics

1.

In a preface to a 1959 edition of Brideshead Revisited, Waugh describes the novel as “a souvenir of the Second War rather than of the twenties or thirties, with which it ostensibly deals” (8). Select a passage that does not openly discuss the 1940s and analyze how Charles’s narrative style suggests that, even when discussing the past, he is focused on his present.

2.

Does the novel suggest that love is inherently impermanent? Explore two relationships (romantic or otherwise) and analyze them to build an argument that answers this question.

3.

How does setting change (or not change) Charles’s perspective? Make a case for one setting that changes him and one that doesn’t, using these examples to theorize how Waugh presents setting as a plot motivator.

4.

Look at one of the less-prominent Flytes (Cordelia, Lord or Lady Marchmain, etc.) and argue how they represent a value or social convention of the aristocracy. What does their trajectory in the novel say about that value?

5.

What is the novel’s perspective on religion broadly and on Catholicism specifically? Use Cordelia, Sebastian, and Charles’s trajectories to inform this assessment.

6.

Does the novel suggest that Charles’s memories are trustworthy or untrustworthy? Is he a reliable narrator?

7.

Critics have debated if Sebastian gets a happy ending or a tragic one. Using examples from the text, argue which category Sebastian falls into.

8.

Does the novel present Charles’s conversion, in the text’s final pages, as credible religious devotion or merely an attempt to reconnect with his past? Use evidence from the text to build your argument.

9.

How does the novel characterize Anthony? Is his advice to Charles credible? Why or why not? What does his characterization say about the novel’s portrayal of queer characters?

10.

Does the novel suggest that happiness is a motivating factor for any of the characters? If so, how do they pursue happiness? Do they succeed in finding it in the end?

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