⋙ Libro Gratis Brideshead RevisitedPenguin Modern Classics Evelyn Waugh 9780141182483 Books

Brideshead RevisitedPenguin Modern Classics Evelyn Waugh 9780141182483 Books

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Brideshead RevisitedPenguin Modern Classics Evelyn Waugh 9780141182483 Books

I picked up this early 20th century English novel based upon its inclusion in Everyman's Library of 100 Essential Books. The story was, in fact, about what you would expect from such a period piece if you've read other novels of the period such as Atonement and Howard's End.

At its heart, the story revolves around a somewhat aimless young man, Charles Ryder, without much of a family foundation, set adrift at Oxford College during the period between the World Wars. While there, he meets a young member of the aristocracy and essentially adopts the young man's family as his own. The story follows the relationships and history of the eccentric Flyte family in three different threads, first during the Second World War and then in flashbacks to the early 20s and then the late 30s. In doing so, the author injects numerous comments and allusions to the Roman Catholic faith (and apostasy) of his characters.

While I have read several works by Dickens, I found much of the florid prose in this story more difficult to appreciate, perhaps because it is written in the patois of the early 20th century English aristocracy. When the story was following a timeline narrative, I can say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. However there were many periods of little or no activity, in which I felt the momentum of the novel grind to a halt.

Certainly, the culture and practices of the English aristocracy, viewed by modern standards, seem ridiculous and silly to us today. This novel focuses on the period when deterioration of the rigid English class structure accelerated and essentially shattered with the outbreak of the Second World War. It bears noting, however, that it was exactly this seemingly ridiculous culture that resulted in a tiny island nation ruling over one of the greatest empires ever known. "From whom much is given, much is expected", could have been the byword of 19th century English society, and while much was certainly given, expectations were not found wanting.


Tags : Brideshead Revisited:(Penguin Modern Classics) [Evelyn Waugh] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Brideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh's stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War. The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels,Evelyn Waugh,Brideshead Revisited:(Penguin Modern Classics),Penguin Classic,0141182482,Classic fiction,Classics,FICTION Classics,General & Literary Fiction,Literature - Classics Criticism,Modern fiction,Fiction

Brideshead RevisitedPenguin Modern Classics Evelyn Waugh 9780141182483 Books Reviews

Evelyn Waugh's brilliant Brideshead Revisited is a magic carpet for the heart and soul, evocative and powerful and eternally fresh, told with a skill and eye incomparable 20th century fiction. Read it and learn about a time and place and set of sensibilities now lost to us; read it and rejoice at what the written word can do; read it for its poignancy as Waugh reveals his lessons in the art of life, love, and literature. But be warned, when you read it, you will weep not simply for these characters come to life, but for us all.
This is the best known of Evelyn Waugh's novels where he displays his affection for the English aristocracy and his fascination with the Catholic faith. The narrator is an architectural painter Charles Ryder who becomes close friends at Oxford with Sebastian Flyte, son of a Marquess. Ryder, an agnostic, is taken to visit Brideshead which Sebastian describes as where his family lives rather than as his home. Ryder becomes well acquainted with the entire family at Brideshead and with Sebastian's absent father, Lord Marchmain who lives in Italy. Sebastian is a flamboyant homosexual who is loved but at the same time estranged from his family. Sebastian correctly believes that his mother is trying to enlist Ryder to bring Sebastian back into the fold and to try to control Sebastian's drinking. This causes strain in Ryder's relationship with Sebastian as does Ryder's romantic attentions to Sebastion's sister Julia. A central theme of the book is the struggle Ryder has in understanding the Catholic faith of the family at Brideshead. Making the narrator an architectural painter was very appropriate for Waugh's style of writing--only a painter could see and describe so evocatively the beauty of the landscape, interior decoration and magnificence of the architecture at Brideshead.The book was made into a great British TV mini-series and into a not very well done movie. The movie places too much emphasis on a homosexual relationship between Sebastian and Ryder. This relationship is not explicitly described in the book and is in no sense a central theme of the novel. Indeed, while Sebastian is described throughout the book as a flamboyant homosexual, Ryder clearly has interests in women much to the annoyance of Sebastian.
This version of Brideshead Revisited written by Evelyn Waugh is the audiobook which is read by Jeremy Irons. I have tried to locate this version for years without luck. Then by chance I located it in a library in Calgary USA. In the UK it's just impossible to find. If you know Brideshead you will love Jeremy's reading of it. He strikes the perfect balance in his speech pattern and is able to convey disdain, surprise, cordiality and love. For me after all these years since watching it first on Granada TV back in the early eighties and having the DVD's of both the original and the Ben Whishaw version it was like hearing the voice of an old friend. Oddly I only read the book after seeing the Granada series and have re-read it countless times since, my dog-eared copy is well thumbed. To hear Jeremy read it, is like opening a time capsule, it takes me back to those bleak austere days of the three day week, power cuts, and wild-cat strikes. The enunciation, clarity of speech and impeccable diction will leave you reeling. I always find some new word to research when re-reading Brideshead and listening to Jeremy corrects my mispronunciation of Latin. If you have not heard this you are missing out. John M P.S. Hope this helps you decide.
I picked up this early 20th century English novel based upon its inclusion in Everyman's Library of 100 Essential Books. The story was, in fact, about what you would expect from such a period piece if you've read other novels of the period such as Atonement and Howard's End.

At its heart, the story revolves around a somewhat aimless young man, Charles Ryder, without much of a family foundation, set adrift at Oxford College during the period between the World Wars. While there, he meets a young member of the aristocracy and essentially adopts the young man's family as his own. The story follows the relationships and history of the eccentric Flyte family in three different threads, first during the Second World War and then in flashbacks to the early 20s and then the late 30s. In doing so, the author injects numerous comments and allusions to the Roman Catholic faith (and apostasy) of his characters.

While I have read several works by Dickens, I found much of the florid prose in this story more difficult to appreciate, perhaps because it is written in the patois of the early 20th century English aristocracy. When the story was following a timeline narrative, I can say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. However there were many periods of little or no activity, in which I felt the momentum of the novel grind to a halt.

Certainly, the culture and practices of the English aristocracy, viewed by modern standards, seem ridiculous and silly to us today. This novel focuses on the period when deterioration of the rigid English class structure accelerated and essentially shattered with the outbreak of the Second World War. It bears noting, however, that it was exactly this seemingly ridiculous culture that resulted in a tiny island nation ruling over one of the greatest empires ever known. "From whom much is given, much is expected", could have been the byword of 19th century English society, and while much was certainly given, expectations were not found wanting.