Religion, Seduction, and Spiritual Education in Brief Candles

This chapter focuses on Brief Candles (1930), Huxley’s last book of short fiction. It analyzes the following stories: “Chawdron,” “The Rest Cure,” and “The Claxtons.” The interpretations of these stories point to new dimensions in Huxley’s short fiction: his portrayal of religious manipulation and satire on homeschooling and pseudo-spiritual education. This chapter demonstrates Huxley’s mature understanding of characterization, whereby the motivation in both the protagonists and minor characters is reinforced on several levels. The analyses of the stories from Brief Candles also indicate Huxley’s nuanced depiction of British expatriates in Italy, which includes not only the admiration for local artists and interest in contemporary politics but also more mundane elements that comprise everyday life.