The Clash of Ethno-Cultural Views in E. M. Forster's Three Novels

Abstract

The Edwardian period was one of rapid change; yet the basic structure of society remained unchanged. Class distinctions, social conventions and cultural values based on ethnicities/localities were rigid and remained so until the First World War. Accordingly, all through his fiction one feels Forster's underlying preoccupation with bourgeois values juxtaposed with local cultural aspects. In one of his essays, Forster asserts that personal relationships provide the only firm reality in the world of violence and cruelty. In a civilization which advocates causes and abstractions Forster declares that the personal is the most significant element. He believes that through the relationships with others we achieve insight and wisdom. Considering his views on the variety of values, this study aims at examining the theme of "the clash of values" based on ethnicities in personal relationships in the three of his novels Where Angels Fear to Tread, The Longest Journey and Howards End because these novels are the manifestations of a world view which is mainly based on the belief in the necessity of tolerance to various values in such a divided world, and the importance of personal relationships to overcome all kinds of drawbacks of communication.

Keywords

• Culture
• Sawston
• affection
• muddle
• clash

References

1. Forster, E.M. (1960) The Longest Journey. Penguin Books Ltd. Forster, E.M. (1941) Howards End. Penguin Books Ltd. Forster, E. M. (1959) Where Angels Fear to Tread. Penguin Books Ltd. Jones, David. (1959, January) E.M. Forster on His Life and on His Books, Listener, 61:1-11 Moore, G.E. (1959) Principia Ethica Cambrige University Press. Stone, Wilfred (1966) The Cave and the Mountain: A Study of E.M. Forster, Stanford University Press. Trilling, Lionel. (1967) E.M. Forster, A Study, Hogarth Press.