Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Take a look at the cover picture on your book or, if you’re not using the American edition, then check out the image here. Now for our Super Important Question: which character is which? What makes you think so? What is this cover saying about the novel? And, most importantly, ARE THEY PLAYING FOOTSIE!?
- Think about the way time is manipulated in Brideshead Revisited, particularly the way Charles reveals his marriage to Celia and his affair with Julia. We jump around a lot in time as the details become clear. What is the effect of this sort of narration?
- Here’s another plot structure question for you: why is Lord Marchmain’s death the novel’s finale? Isn’t he a minor character? Who cares if he dies?
- What shifts do you see – in theme, tone, style, plot structure, or anything else – between Book One and Book Two of Brideshead Revisited?
- Besides Charles, whose side are you on as a reader, and which characters just aren’t likeable? What do you think of Lady Marchmain, for example? Julia? Brideshead? Lord Marchmain?