[PW] Source of a Quote

[Reed C Bowman]

Kathleen Stipek wrote:

> 
>A long time ago, when I read Brideshead Revisited, I vaguely remember
>that the character Anthony Blanche warned Charles Ryder about charming
>people when Ryder was becoming besotted with the whole Marchmain family.
>Does anyone know the exact quote?
>
>Kathleen Stipek
>Alachua County Library District
>401 East University Avenue
>Gainesville, Florida 32601
>(352-334-3931) fax (352-334-3948)
>
>--Non, merci.
>  Cyrano de Bergerac
>
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>  
>
Anthony Blanche is always a flood of words, and laces the topic of 
'charm' all through their conversations, so it's hard to know what quote 
you remembered.
The first conversation is before he's met the family, though. One quote 
I've noted so far is "It is not an experience I would recommend for An 
Artist at the tenderest stage of his growth, to be strangled with 
charm." (bk1ch2) Though at the time he's not directly talking about the 
Marchmains.

He describes the whole family at one point, as various beastly 
caricatures, then says "So you see there was really very little left for 
poor Sebastian to do except be sweet and charming." (bk1ch2)

in Book 2 ch.2 he meets Anthony again, when he's already completely 
entwined with the family, not just getting to know them. But this may be 
what you're remembering: "My dear, of course I'm right. I was right 
years ago - more years, I am happy to say, than either of us shows - 
when I _warned_ you. I took you out to dinner to warn you of charm. I 
warned you expressly and in great detail of the Flyte family. Charm is 
the great English blight. It does not exist outside these damp islands. 
It spots and kills anything it touches. It kills love; it kills art; I 
greatly fear, my dear Charles, it has killed _you_."

RCB