Brideshead Revisited

Brief Overview

Brideshead Revisited is a novel by Evelyn Waugh that recreates the atmosphere of 1920s-1930s England through the life and relationships of young Charles Ryder with the aristocratic Flyte family. Central to the narrative are themes of friendship, love, generational divides, religious questions, and the search for meaning in life. As an Oxford student, Charles befriends the younger Flyte brother, Sebastian, and through this friendship, becomes immersed in the life of his family, experiencing their joys and tragedies. Sebastian's family home, Brideshead, becomes a place of unique life lessons, disappointments, and reflections for Charles. As the characters face personal and societal challenges, Charles contemplates the meaning of his past life, morality, and religious values, increasingly aware of his alienation and gradual, yet inevitable, return to Brideshead.