Is it possible to have everything and feel as if you have nothing? Charles Ryder meets Lord Sebastian Flyte at Oxford in 1922. Through his friendship with Sebastian, Ryder is thrust into the center of a life of immense privilege. Ultimately Ryder ends up questioning everything that he believes about truth and faith. I had not seen the famous tv series, or read any Waugh novels before. As I understand this book is very different from his more satirical works. There is comedy in here, Waugh does an excellent job of skewering the wealthy.
The frivolity and entitlement that appears in Sebastian's Oxford crowd is pretty amusing. Through the middle class eyes of Ryder one can see the intoxication of it all for a first time college student. They encourage and praise drunken partying but then bail when anything turns dangerous. The satire is ripe as they pontificate about art and bohemianism while drinking champagne served by their valets. Bohemians indeed, Waugh is winking at us.
I was shocked but not surprised by how the Marchmain's react to Sebastian's behavior. Lady Marchmain is a well drawn character of someone who believes in molding and controlling her children's every move. Heaven forbid they be allowed to make their own mistakes and choose their own paths.
Surprisingly in the latter third of the book Waugh takes on a serious discussion of the affects of Catholicism. Ryder's atheism and philosophy is very well paralleled by the Marchmain's stark Catholic belief. The fates of Ryder, Sebastian, and Julia make a stark argument that everyone needs faith of some kind. The comfort or pain of faith is determined by the individual. Waugh seems to indicate that religion is a reflection of it's patrons.
This book was more philosophic then I thought it would be. It's a rich text and not nearly as stuffy as I expected. Waugh managed to pull me in. I was glad to be taken away to Brideshead at least for awhile.
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