E.M. Forester David Pierce

Thesis  E.M. Forester’s well-plotted novels draw attention because of his attachment to mysticism and his secular humanist beliefs.

Early Years  Forester was born January 1, 1879 in London.  He was an only child.  His father was an architect and died when Forester was only a year old.

Continued  Most of his boyhood was dominated by women.  He later inherited £8,000 in trust as a young boy from his great aunt in  This made it possible for him to live on and become a writer.  Forester’s childhood was the happiest time of his life.

Travel  After leaving the university he traveled with his mother.  They traveled through Italy for a year then a cruise to Greece following.  Forester also visited Egypt, Germany, and India.  During these travels he gathered the material that he needed for his early novels.

Continued  He began to satirize the attitudes of English tourists. This is shown in A Passage to India.  When returning from travel he began to write a new independent review that was launched in 1903 by a group of Cambridge friends. In 1904 he published his first short story, The Story of a Panic.

Published Novels  These novels had great success and made Forester a well known author. Where Angels Fear to Tread – 1905 Where Angels Fear to Tread – 1905 The Longest Journey – 1907 The Longest Journey – 1907 A Room with a View – 1908 A Room with a View – 1908 Howards End – 1910 Howards End – 1910 A Passage to India – 1924 A Passage to India – 1924

A Passage to India  Published in 1924  This was his last novel and the most famous of his work.

Cecilia H. C. Liu The title The title Forster took the title from Walt Whitman's poem "Passage to India", The Suez Canal, creating a passage to India, was completed in "While "Passage to India" is very much about the anticipatory joy of a global union fulfilling the destiny first sought by Christopher Columbus, it is also about the voyage of the soul or spirit and the resultant discovery that lies beyond India, the cradle of civilization, the motherland of America. In fact it is India, as the ultimate goal of Columbus's voyage, that represents all great human undertaking and, at the same time, the distinct wonder of America, for when Columbus arrived in America, he thought he was in India," from An Analysis of Asian Influences in "Passage to India" by Matthew Whitman Lazenby. Forster took the title from Walt Whitman's poem "Passage to India", The Suez Canal, creating a passage to India, was completed in "While "Passage to India" is very much about the anticipatory joy of a global union fulfilling the destiny first sought by Christopher Columbus, it is also about the voyage of the soul or spirit and the resultant discovery that lies beyond India, the cradle of civilization, the motherland of America. In fact it is India, as the ultimate goal of Columbus's voyage, that represents all great human undertaking and, at the same time, the distinct wonder of America, for when Columbus arrived in America, he thought he was in India," from An Analysis of Asian Influences in "Passage to India" by Matthew Whitman Lazenby.

Cecilia H. C. Liu Background of the Novel (I)  The colonial occupation of India is significant in terms of the background of the novel. Britain occupied an important place in political affairs in India since 1760, but did not secure control over India for nearly a century. In August of 1858, during a period of violent revolt against Britain by the Indians, the British Parliament passed the Government of India Act, transferring political power from the East India Company to the crown.

Cecilia H. C. Liu Background of the Novel (II)  This established the bureaucratic colonial system in India headed by a Council of India consisting initially of fifteen Britons. Although Parliament and Queen Victoria maintained support for local princes, Victoria added the title Empress of India to her regality. The typical attitude of Britons in India was that they were undertaking the "white man's burden," as put by Rudyard Kipling. This was a system of aloof, condescending sovereignty in which the English bureaucracy did not associate with the persons they ruled, and finds its expression in characters such as Ronny Heaslop and Mr. McBryde in A Passage to India.

Cecilia H. C. Liu Background of the Novel (III)  Indian nationalism began to foment around 1885 with the first meeting of the Indian National Congress, and nationalism found expression in the Muslim community as well around the beginning of the twentieth century. Reforms in India's political system occurred with the victory of the Liberal Party in 1906, culminating in the Indian Councils Act of 1909, but nationalism continued to rise.

Cecilia H. C. Liu Background of the Novel (V)  More than twenty years later, after a long struggle, Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act in 1947, ordering the separation of India and Pakistan and granting both nations their sovereignty.

Conclusion  Many people know of E.M. Forester through his many film adaptations made from his work.  Forester had concrete ideas, irrational thoughts, and believed in a philosophy that upholds reason and ethics.

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