Perhaps a better clue is in the novel’s sub-title,
"The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder",
which at least gives an indication of the breadth of the
subject and some idea of the extremes to be found in the book.

But Brideshead defies any form of simple analysis: the story
encompasses so many interwoven threads that no two individuals
are likely to interpret the messages in the same way.

Also, in seeing the events as Charles Ryder himself describes
- a "fierce little human tragedy" - it is easy to forget
the comedy which surfaces at regular intervals throughout,
sometimes in the most unexpected places.

And what of the characters? Sebastian - the epotime of
"pure, creamy, English charm" yet fated; dear Antoine - the
"stranger amongst his friends", often a laughing stock yet
proven to be right all along; Julia - beautiful yet vulnerable;
Charles - solid, conservative and also, in his own way, fated.
Yet it is the interplay between these individuals and the others
- Lunt, Jasper, Anthony Blanche, Boy Mulcaster, Ryder’s Father,
Lord and Lady Marchmain, Cara, Cordelia, Brideshead, even Kurt,
which brings these people to life and gives them the edge.

And then there is Hooper, surely providing the real warning from
the tale. In a few short years we crumble from style, elegance,
"of a night at the Corombona palace such as Byron might have
known" right down to "the age of Hooper". This decline reflects
a similar downfall in the lives of Sebastian,
Julia and, yes, Charles who realises with a jolt that he is
"homeless, childless, middle-aged and loveless".

Yet all is not lost; there is hope. This hope has been present
all the time, underpinning the thoughts and actions of many of
the participants; rejected at first by Charles, questioned,
dismissed, perhaps even vilified by him as being
the root cause of all his unhappiness and those around him.

It manifests itself right at the end in a small flame, and we
know that Sebastian ("he's got a beard now and he's very
religious"), Julia ("if I give up this one thing I want so much
he won't quite despair of me in the end") and Charles
("I said a prayer - an ancient, newly-learned form of words")
are all saved.

Kevin Sims