Brideshead Revisited Literary Elements

Brideshead Revisited Literary Elements

Genre

A novel

Setting and Context

England, a period of twenty years between the World War I and World War II is depicted

Narrator and Point of View

It is first-person narration, the narrator is the main protagonist Charles Ryder

Tone and Mood

Both the tone and mood are positive, but somehow saddened when the narration addresses Sebastian

Protagonist and Antagonist

Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte are the main protagonists; the main antagonist is religion on the behalf of Sebastian’s mother

Major Conflict

The main conflict stands in the pressures of prejudices, control ,and opinions of others

Climax

The climax comes when Julia’s father died and she left Charles

Foreshadowing

Sebastian’s passion to drinks foreshadows his future problems with alcoholic addiction

Understatement

N/A

Allusions

The story alludes to Napoleon, Greek mythology, Renaissance art

Imagery

Descriptions of nature are widely employed, and descriptions of buildings are vividly given, as the main protagonist is an artist and paints mostly architecture

Paradox

‘Oh, my darling, why is it that love makes me hate the world? It’s supposed to have quite the opposite effect. I feel as though all mankind, and God, too, were in a con- spiracy against us.’ – Charles said these words to Julia, and the paradox is that love stands as a thing that brings people pain, but it supposes to bring happiness

Parallelism

The most vivid parallel is drawn between the Brideshead house and Sebastian’s elder brother, who had the same name as the house, but they all called him Bridey. Both the house and his supposed future owner (at his deathbed old Lord Flyte left the house to Julia) were “a mystery, a creature from underground”, in this way Bridey’s character resembled the house.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

“The Death’s Head seemed destined for me” (metonymy for a girl, whose head resembles a skull);
‘You’re very sweet really,’ said the Sickly Child.(metonymy for another girl, whose appearance did not look well)

Personification

The fountain in the garden of Brideshead personifies decline of the family; at the beginning of the story it is beautiful and looked after, and in the very end it is closed, and soldiers throw their their cigarettes at it.

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