Forster E
Список книг автора Forster EHowards End - The Original Classic Edition
I have read Howards End two or three times and listened to it once on tape and it remains one of my favorite novels. Many people were introduced to it by the film, which, good though it was, does not begin to capture the subtle wisdom Forster put into this book. <p> Howards End can be seen as a quaint period piece about British culture in the early Twentieth Century. On another level, however, its a brilliant exploration of the human soul. In the Schlegels and the Wilcoxes, Forster has created the perfect embodiment of the eternal conflict between reason and passion. These two families, destined to be united by the marriage of Margaret Schlegel to Henry Wilcox, represent two seemingly irreconcilable aspects of humanity. The Schlegels are artistic, intellectual and impractical; the Wilcoxes materialistic and unapologetically bourgeois. Margaret and Henry have their differences, but it is their relatives who display the more extreme family traits. <p> Margarets sister Helen is a classic bohemian; Henrys son Charles is a humorless and intolerant banker. As the novel unfolds, the two families are forced to confront each other and decide whether to ultimately part company or compromise. What is most impressive to me about the novel is the naturalness and grace with which the story unfolds. When an author uses characters to embody universal qualities, it is quite a challenge to make the people and story real and not merely symbols. <p> Howards End succeeds brilliantly as both a thoroughly engaging novel and a rather profound metaphysical inquiry.
A Room with a View - The Original Classic Edition
A Book With a Heart: A ROOM WITH A VIEW depicts a young Englishwomans adventure trying to come to grips with the conflict between her desires and societys expectations. Lucy Honeychurch is a well-bred young middle class girl on holiday in radiant Florence. <p> She comes from a family overconcerned with respectability and is therefore overprotected by a dessicated spinster named Charlotte Bartlett. One wonders if Forster had in mind a more famous Charlotte B. when he drew Lucys protector, a woman much discomfited by [any] unpleasant scene[s]. Forster playfully tosses barbs at this dont-let-the-servants-hear-you world the English try to maintain on foreign soil. Less playful with sanctimonious Puritans or hypocritical clergymen, Forster lets them foil themselves. <p> Under no circumstances will Miss Bartlett allow Lucy to pursue (or even examine) her affection for the handsome young George Emerson–his father is far too unconventional with his modern notions about honesty and freethinking. Duty must reign . . . mustnt it? Ah, that wild transitional phase between the late-Victorians and the early-Moderns! <p> Forster writes gently and calmly, but with a passion for life and love welling up beneath the surface. A ROOM WITH A VIEW is a lovely book, vital with the force of a sensitive and empathetic mind. Theres even more to this book than it seems–highly recommended!