Most modern editions of Brideshead Revisited leave off the subtitle, Captain Charles Ryder's Sacred and Profane Memories. Such lengthy titling was out of fashion when the book was published in 1945, but not only suggests the content of the book, but it suggests the style and theme of the book. Brideshead Revisited is a book with which which Evelyn Waugh sought to glorify past worlds, past habits, and past manners. It is through Charles Ryder that readers are introduced to one of literature's most charming and engaging characters, the teddy-bear toting, alcoholic Sebastian Flyte.
Choosing an Audiobook Version of Brideshead Revisited
There are several audiobook options for Brideshead, but there are two main contenders based on the quality of the performers reading the book. The BBC audiobook is available on CD, and is performed by Jeremy Irons. There are several reasons to choose this audiobook above the other choices, not the least being that Jeremy Irons played Charles Ryder in the 1981 Granada Television movie.
The other audiobook contender is the CSA verison performed by Jeremy Northam, whose talent shines through his reading. The problem with the CSA version is that it is improperly formatted. If the format is a conscious abridgement, it is a strange and confusing choice. In the Audible.com download, sections of the book are noticeably cut and rearranged, and the recording flits in and out of stereo.
People who love the TV movie of Brideshead Revisited and want to hear every word will want to get the BBC version with Jeremy Irons. People who love the plot of Brideshead Revisited and want a different view of the characters will want the CSA version with Jeremy Northam. Audio To Go has Brideshead Revisited available as an audiobook rental.
Listening to Brideshead Revisited is Different from Reading It
When Jeremy Irons reads Brideshead Revisited, Sebastian is playful and destructive, and it is Julia who has a bit of nastiness to her. When she is determined to marry Rex, Irons presents a high-status character, who corners her sick, distressed mother into enduring the marriage by saying, "You see, I've been Rex's mistress for some time now, and I shall go on being, married or not." Julia is a character readers relate to, but one that listeners hear with a different tone -- Iron's Julia has more power than the written Julia has.
Jeremy Northam's Charles Ryder is externally proper, and Northam reserves Ryder's waverings for his times when the narrator is alone. In the written book, Ryder seems genteel and conforming, but Northam's Ryder is English, in every sense of the word. When Rex tries to entice Charles to gossip about the Flyte's finances, asking, " D'you know how much they're overdrawn?"
'Northam's Ryder shuts down the conversation with a firm imperiousness. "Of course I don't." What listeners hear - that readers miss - is the space after the sentence, where Charles seems to imply, "How dare you suggest that I would want to know their finances?"
When asked about CSA version's problems, Audible's customer service said, " If the original audio (from CSA Word) also has no right channel, then we need to get a new copy from them. Once we do correct the audio, all purchased copies will be updated and we will let the customers know." Check with Audible.com before buying the CSA version to make sure the problems are corrected.
Brideshead Revisited Publication Information
Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder was written by Evelyn Waugh and published in 1945. A currently available version is Back Bay Books' edition from June 2008. The ISBN is 0316042994.
The unabridged CD audiobook of Brideshead Revisited, read by Jeremy Irons, was released by BBC Audiobooks America in July 2008. The ISBN is 1602834865. It was originally released on audio cassette in 1990. It is about 11 hours long.
The abridged audiobook of Brideshead Revisited, read by Jeremy Northam, was released by CSA Word in September, 2008. The ISBN is 1906147264. It is about 5 hours long, but make sure that it is properly formatted.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
