Brideshead Revisited
- Pages: 7
- Word count: 1715
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Order NowTraditionally, the pastoral genre celebrates the beauty and aesthetics of the countryside which is often depicted as promoting prosperity and joy within its inhabitants. However, considering Brideshead Revisited, She Stoops to Conquer and Blakeâs Songs of Innocence and Experience were all written during times of change and development in which the urban is presented to infringe upon the rural, contradictions to this traditional pastoral genre are highlighted.
In Brideshead Revisited Waugh uses the character of Charles Ryder to present the countryside as a useful means of escape, as Charles is âsuspendedâ above his mundane life and liberated in the beauty of the country âunder a clump of elmsâ. Waugh contrasts Charlesâ dysfunctional, constricting relationship at home with his father, with the freedom; exemplified through Charles, in rural Brideshead in order to present the pastoral as a constructive, liberating environment.
Charles comments that âthe dinner table was our battlefieldâ, through this metaphor Waugh highlightâs Charlesâ uncomfortable familial situation, since the âdinner tableâ is symbolic of family unity, however the metaphor of the âbattlefieldâ suggests there is something nefarious about their relationship and presents the two characters as distant, much like two sides of a battle. Furthermore, Waugh uses a collective pronoun âourâ to illustrate that both Charles and his father perceive their relationship as corrupt, augmenting the disparity within their family.
Structurally, Waugh uses Sebastianâs letter to âdearest Charlesâ to illustrate Charlesâ freedom experienced through the country. Charles says to his father âI must go at onceâ, after receiving Sebastianâs letter. Waughâs use of the modal verb âmustâ shows Charlesâ feeling of obligation towards his friend but also reflects Charlesâ preference of the country over his constricting home environment. Through the setting of pastoral Brideshead, Waugh characterises Charles as uninhibited and care-free, âa pair of childrenâ.
Referencing Charles and Sebastian as âchildrenâ, illuminates the freedom and feelings of happiness synonymous with youth that the pastoral bestows onto characters; contrasting his time spent âforlornâ at home. Furthermore, Waugh uses descriptive language to present the liberating environment of the âenchanted palaceâ of Brideshead, which is a useful means of escapism from the hostility of Charlesâ urban home.
The vivid depiction of the âalpine strawberriesâ and âwarm figsâ ameliorates the presentation of Charlesâ adoration of the rural idyll, since he is able to recount minute aspects of his experience despite narrating retrospectively, which illuminates Charlesâ happiness at Brideshead and nostalgia to return to âthe languor of youthâ spent in the pastoral, therefore Waugh presents the aesthetics of the pastoral as useful for escape from constricting environments. Similarly, Waugh presents the country as a useful memento for reminiscence in later years.
The character of Sebastian wishes âto bury a crock of goldâ in âevery place (heâs) been happyâ on pastoral, âcropped knoll(s)â in order to access more positive memories when heâs âold and miserableâ. The attachment to the contentment found in the countryside through the burial of âcrock(s) of goldâ also suggests that the country allows characters, to an extent, to control time, in the sense that when Sebastian is âold(er)â the happiness endowed onto his character through the pastoral will remain and secure his happiness in the future.
Contrarily, Waugh suggests that the nostalgia resulting from rural experience can have a negative effect, suggesting the countryside is not useful but in fact, harmful. Charles reflects that Sebastianâs âescape from realityâ in the country has resulted in him being âincreasingly hemmed inâ, as a result of his liberal, indulged lifestyle being unsustainable. This creates a tone of sad resignation in the novel which highlights the negative influence of the country.
Moreover, through the character of Julia, Waugh presents the novel from an anti-pastoral, modernist viewpoint; suggesting the country is not as attractive as the âfineryâ in the city. Waugh characterises Julia as a typical âflapperâ woman, symbolic of the 1920âs; which is the epoch Charles is recounting retrospectively. Waugh describes, through Charles, that Juliaâs hair is âscarcely longer than Sebastianâsâ, which was stereotypical of women during the Jazz Age; having short bob haircuts.
Furthermore, Waugh highlights Juliaâs âbangle of charmsâ and âpainted mouthâ to reflect her association with the sophistication of the city which has resulted in her âgoldâ, urban veneer, contrasting the simplicity of the bucolic rural. Furthermore, the listing of jewellery, âskirtsâ and âringsâ show the Juliaâs materialistic personality which is commonly associated with the town. This positive depiction of Julia suggests that the city and its inhabitants are more beautiful and âespecially femaleâ than the rural countryside.
Moreover, Charles âcaught a thin batâs squeak of sexualityâ from Julia, the adjective âthinâ and the profound description of Juliaâs character exemplifies the close attention Charles was paying Julia, suggesting that Charles is able to enjoy the city and its fopperies as much as the beauty of the countryside. Similarly, in She Stoops to Conquer Goldsmith reflects the desirability of the town and subsequently the lack of excitement and beauty found in the country.
Through the character of Mrs Hardcastle, Goldsmith presents the anti-pastoral view that it is the city which is useful, to ârub off the rustâ, which is accumulated with time spent in the country. âRustâ suggests that country life is constricting and harmful rather than fruitful, contrasting excitement of prosperous âLondonâ and the âfashionsâ, of which Mrs Hardcastle âlove(s) to talkâ.
Moreover, Goldsmith reveals that Mrs Hardcastle reads the âScandalous Magazineâ in a vain attempt to vicariously enjoy London and keep abreast of âevery tete-a-teteâ in the town, which suggests that Mrs Hardcastle wishes to escape the useless âtrumperyâ in the country in order to pursue a more adventurous town existence portrayed in the âScandalous Magazineâ.
However, Goldsmith uses misinformed references in Mrs Hardcastleâs speech to show her limited, âsecond-handâ understanding of the town, which presents her character as vacuous and unsophisticated, which is how pastoral characters can be presented in the pastoral genre, therefore highlighting the usefulness of the country in its ability to illustrate character faults. Mrs Hardcastle says Hastings, a âgentlemanâ of the town, has âbeen bred all (his) lifeâ at âTower Wharfâ, which is ironic considering Tower Wharf in the 18th century was associated with thievery and prostitution, far from a location a gentleman would frequent.
Through this ironic reference, Goldsmith presents Mrs Hardcastle as an ignorant character which is apparent because of her affiliation with the country, thus highlighting the countryâs utility in illuminating character flaws. Alternatively, Mrs Hardcastleâs lack of competence could reflect the hindrance of the country. Goldsmith uses repetition of the word âoldâ to reflect the lack of development and prosperity in the country. Mrs Hardcastleâs life spent in the âold rambling mansionâ in the country could be the reason for her lack of enlightenment, suggesting the country is not useful but restricts the intellect of characters.
Similarly, Goldsmith presents the character of Tony as stereotypical of an unsophisticated country dweller lacking intelligence and refinement as a result of his indulged rural lifestyle. Goldsmith highlightâs Tonyâs lack of prosperity through the lyrics of Tonyâs song, the words ânonsenseâ and âlearningâ are juxtaposed in the lyrics to show Tony is uninterested in education and furthermore he is a lazy and unambitious character which compliments Vicki Janikâs criticism of Tony as âthe most ignorant of the country bumpkinsâ, suggesting his simple idyllic country life has hindered his development, presenting the country negatively.
However, Goldsmithâs characterisation of Tony as uninhibited and interested in âfun going forwardâ, highlights that the Arcadian country, in which otium is paramount, has resulted in Tonyâs happiness and âconsumptive figureâ which is reflective of his care-free lifestyle. The country has reacted positively with Tony and much like Charles in Brideshead Revisited the country is useful in promoting prosperity and pleasure, which are seen as important aspects of life in the pastoral genre.
Equally, in Blakeâs Laughing Song, the country is presented as a positive force which results in the âmerr(iment)â of the rural population. Blake personifies the pastoral, âthe green woods laughâ, in order to highlight the peaceful bliss found in the country which is reflected onto the rural inhabitants âMary and Susanâ, whose happiness is depicted through interjections of laughter âha ha heâ. However, the laughter âha ha heâ, is seemingly faltered. Blake creates a harsh tone through the change of âhaâ to âheâ on the last line of the poem, suggesting the âjoyâ in the country is ephemeral and superficial.
Furthermore, Blake suggests this depiction of Arcadia is unattainable through the repetition of âwhenâ. Blake pessimistically suggests that humanity can only âbe happyâ âwhenâ all the pastoral elements of the poem come into fruition, âwhen the meadows laugh with lively greenâ. These elements of the poem which are fundamental to a bucolic paradise are nonsensical which suggests that this depiction of utopia is doubtful, suggesting that in the 18th century the countryside was not beautiful but rather, corrupt as a result of increasing industrialisation and the âcharter(ing)â of the rural.
Moreover, in The Echoing Green, Blake reflects that the country is a useful moral guide for humanity. Blake presents nature as a domineering force which guides humanity into maturity through the use of the imperative. Blake shows the âsunâ âmake happy the skiesâ, showing the control which nature and the country has over our lives. Furthermore, Blake juxtaposes the âgirls and boysâ with the âold folkâ in this poem to show how the country and the âechoing greenâ has resulted in the maturation of âOld Johnâ and the other âold folkâ.
The use of positive language reflects how nature has positively influenced the lives of those on âthe echoing greenâ. Blake highlights that John âdoes laugh away with careâ, by using âcareâ at the end of the line Blake emphasises the love and kindness of John which has been nurtured by his âyouth timeâ on âthe echoing greenâ, suggesting that nature has been a useful moral guide and resulted in an empathetic âcar(ing)â generation. In conclusion, it is clear all texts present the countryside as beautiful and uncorrupted, with varying degrees of profundity.
However, between texts the utility of the country is debatable, while Brideshead Revisited and Blakeâs Songs of Innocence and Experience form the prominence and importance of the country as a major theme, She Stoops to Conquer debates the influence of the country on the lives of its inhabitants and challenges the stereotypes of the country as being adorned by all. Overall, highlighting the country as important with perhaps certain characteristics which undermine its utility.