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Dramatic Irony
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Brideshead Mentioned:
In the Prologue, an aged Charles learns that he and his soldiers have been stationed at Brideshead, now vacated by the Flyte family. In his moment of recognition, Charles experiences a flashback, recalling his time spent with Sebastian and Julia:
“What’s this place called?”
He told me and, on the instant, it was as though someone had switched off the wireless, and a voice that had been bawling in my ears, incessantly, fatuously, for days beyond number, had been suddenly cut short; [...] for he had spoken a name that was so familiar to me, a conjuror’s name of such ancient power, that, at its mere sound, the phantoms of those haunted late years began to take flight.
In the above passage, a simple mention of the name "Brideshead" triggers Charles's memories, leading him to recall several formative relationships and events in his life. Charles uses metaphor to compare the name "Brideshead" to that of a "conjuror," such is the emotional power associated with the old estate. The fact that Charles experiences such a shift—from mental disturbance to quiet, pensive recall—is noteworthy. While Brideshead does hold positive memories for Charles, those memories are ultimately "phantoms" of "haunted late years," ghosts of a past once buried that have come back to remind him of lost relationships.
Related Themes:
