E.M. Forster
His life and work
Early life
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Born in 1879 in London
Edward Morgan Forster
Father was an architect
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Died before Edward was 2
Raised by women - mother and aunts
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Used money from great aunt to travel and write later in life
Forster as a child, 1890
Childhood home, Rooksnest
College Life
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Attended King’s College of Cambridge
1897-1901
Member of Apostles
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Discussion group
Later became Bloomsbury Group
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Virginia Woolf also a member
Enjoyed freedom of intellectual discussions and focus
on personal relationships
After graduation
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Traveled with his mother to Italy and Greece
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Gave him material to use later
Satire of British tourists
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Feared anything “foreign”
Wrote essays and stories for liberal Independent Review
Forster with mother
Tutoring
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1905 - tutored in Germany for a Countess’s son
1906 - tutored Syed Ross Masood
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Indian Muslim patriot
Grew fond of him
Forster, 1915
Forster with Masood, 1911
Written work
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1905 - Where Angels Fear to Tread
1907 - The Longest Journey
1908 - A Room with a View
1910 - Howard’s End
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Clash between business and art
1971 - Maurice
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Homosexual theme
Personal life
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Kept personal life hidden and out of discussion
1930 - involved in a relationship with a London policeman
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Also friends with his wife
Maurice published posthumously
Travel and work
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1912-1913 - traveled to India with Masood
1914-1915 - worked for National Gallery in London
WWI - worked for Red Cross in Egypt
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Wrote poetry while there
1921 - returned to India
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Worked as private secretary to Maharajah of Dewas
India
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A Passage to India
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Started writing it before WWI
Published 1924
About India under British rule
Published nonfiction work about India
E. M. Forster
A Passage to India
David Lean)
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(1984 directed by
Plot Summary: novel film
A Passage to India
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Published in 1924, the last completed novel that
Forster published during his lifetime.
Major Characters in the novel:
1. Dr. Aziz:
2. Cyril Fielding
3. Adela Quested
4. Mrs. Moore
5. Professor Narayan Godbole
6. Ronny Heaslop
A Passage to India
David Lean)
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(1984 directed by
Themes:
1. the difficulty of friendship between an Englishman (the
colonist) and an Indian (the colonized)
2. the racism and oppression of the British who rule India
3. the “muddle” of Indian civilization and psychology, and
the oneness (and perhaps sameness) of all life
Death and reputation
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Died in 1970
Known for being critical of Victorian middle class
attitudes and British colonialism
Explores class differences and sexuality
Used characters to critique issues
Sources
Sharpe, Jenny. “The Unspeakable Limits of Civility:A Passage
to India.” Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press,
1993.