Howards End E M FORSTER 1910 E M

Howards End E. M. FORSTER. (1910)

E. M. Forster (1879 – 1970) Born in London; attended Tonbridge Day School and King’s College, Cambridge, graduating in 1897 Wrote six novels, among them: Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905) A Room with a View (1908) Howards End (1910) A Passage to India (1924) Maurice (1914 / 1970)

Edwardian Family Values How do the lives of the characters depicted in Downton Abbey and Howards End differ from the lives of characters we experienced in Middlemarch and An Ideal Husband?

Stories work through marriage, rather than end with it; detail the issues of marriage in the modern world Detail the stasis of matrimony within a world of progress Protagonists face shifting codes and moral values Marriage does not create a new equilibrium; instead, it complicates plot because of the phallocentric order

“Only connect. . . ”

What does this mean in respect to the novel? Who What needs to connect? Who does it mean to connect? is dis-connected?

The Schlegel Family MARGARET, THE ELDEST IDEALIST HELEN, THE MIDDLE CHILD PRONE TO STEALING UMBRELLAS TIBBY, THE INDIFFERENT SON

The Wilcox Family HENRY, THE PATER RUTH, THE MOTHER (BUT NOT FOR LONG) CHARLES, PAUL AND EVIE. . . THEIR CHILDREN

What distinguishes these families?

What do these families come to represent in this modern England?

The “Single. Mindedness” of Margaret Schlegel

What does Margaret desire in the way of a goal? How does Margaret run the Wickham Place household? What is the legacy of her father, Ernst Schlegel? How does her education and reading influence her daily life?

Margaret’s Central Goal Protecting her “feminine” home from overpowering masculinity and “effeminacy” Why does the narrator refer to Wickham Place as “the homefront” (45)?

Why does Margaret take -up with Mr. Wilcox?

Mrs. Wilcox sets this up: Two tests The lore of Howards End: “the teeth of a pig” Christmas shopping: Margaret takes control and leaves herself with nothing

Henry Wilcox Represents the patriarchy in all of its manifestations Helen’s perception: “He says the most horrid things about women’s suffrage” (5) Henry grooms his children to their appropriate position Declared the “hero” in the later part of the novel (262) Henry is defined through his occupation Henry’s advice to the Schlegel’s “young clerk” (131) Narrator’s phrases: “man of business”; “no mysteries”; “advise nothing” “You must keep that type at a distance”

Why does Margaret succumb to Henry? Henry is actually the source of obstacles to Margaret’s well-being

Leonard Bast (What is is role in this novel? } “A woman and two men – they had formed the magic triangle of sex, and the male was thrilled by the jealousy, in case the female was attracted by another male. . . It is jealousy, not love, that connects us with the farmyard intolerably, and calls up visions of two angry cocks and a complacent hen” (154).

A scene of foreshadowing: What the Wilcox / Schlegel marriage will look like: Luncheon at Simpson’s Margaret stresses out over the loss of Wickham Place Henry pontificates on proper fare and standards of etiquette Tipping the carver: Capitalism in full force

The Proposal: Ducie Street (169): Margaret sublimates her own desires to offer something (172): desire vs. comradeship and affection (174) feeling the “welcome ghost” of Mrs. Wilcox Margaret sets aside her goals to become the feminine, mainly matriarchal, presence within the patriarchal paradigm -- the marriage offers an exciting challenge

Maintaining Familial Control Margaret marries Henry, creating a new familial dynamic How does Margaret's new role as step-mother change her relationship to her own family? How does her new family begin to affect the Wilcoxes? How do the Basts affect both family situations?

Schlegel vs. Wilcox Responses to the Proposal Why does Helen object so vehemently? (156 -57): Margaret’s feelings (158): Charles and Dolly respond to the news (159): “Only connect”: Is this a good enough reason for marriage? (163): Henry on taking a “sentimental attitude toward the poor” (181 -82): Charles hits a dog with his car on the way to Evie’s wedding: Margaret realizes her place: “a woman in revolt” vs. being “naughty” (183): Charles: “That woman had a tongue”

Chapters 23/24: Margaret visits Howards End (170): Margaret begins to walk the grounds: “fertility of the soil” (171): Simplicity seems key to the structure of the house (172): “it was the heart of the house beating, faintly at first, then loudly, maternally. ” (172): Miss Avery, “I took you for Ruth Wilcox” (174): Her response: “an unexpected love of the island awoke in her, connecting on this side with the joys of the flesh, on that with the inconceivable”

(185): “Saxon or Celt? ” “fascinated by Oniton” / “its romantic tension that held her” (191): The Basts arrive with Helen: “theatrical nonsense” Drawing the Battle Lines The Basts (194): Leonard, “Poetry’s nothing” Margaret, “I have no use for justice” (196): “Now she understood why some women prefer influence to rights” (197): Henry would save the Basts as he had saved Howards End” (198): Jacky recognizes Henry (199): “She left him without a word. For it was not her tragedy: it was Mrs. Wilcox’s”

Chapter 28: Why is this so important? Margaret contemplates what to do: Draws a battle plan Opening paragraph: Her immediate thoughts Writing to Henry: “my dearest boy” – maternal Subsequent thoughts: turn to the social situation that breeds this distinction “Men must be different” Note narrator’s language: Margaret weighs all sides of the issue knowing Henry cannot Why is Margaret so cautious in her actions here? What are her real choices?

Why does Margaret marry Mr. Wilcox? “Our hero and heroine” (220) Henry’s attitude toward his wedding (very business-like affair) Men: role as “warrior” / Women “cannot win the real battle” (221) Miss Avery: makes the mistake of unpacking the Wickham Place furniture at Howards End: Why such a big deal?

Chapter 33: Margaret visits Howards End (228): England mythology Margaret is connecting to Howards End (231): “The house has been empty long enough” (232): “You think that you won’t come back to live here, Mrs. Wilcox, but you will” (234): Howards End is maternally centered

The Final Battle Helen’s return from Germany for her books sparks Henry to action (242): “Retreat was impossible” (245): “I am punished for lowering my colors” (246): The assault of the doctor: “she did resent my husband’s immorality” (247): “stood with her back to the door” (249): Margaret bolted the door on the inside” (251): The hall seems more alive even than in the old days, when it held the Wilcoxes’ own things”

Schlegel Strategy (254): “It’s a room that men have spoilt through trying to make it nice for women” (255): “Perhaps the Wilcoxes are beginning the siege” (256): “this place has wonderful powers” (257): Ducie Street is house. This is ours. ” (258): “get leave” (260): “It was the crisis of his life” (261): Margaret asks her question. . . (262): “She controlled herself for the last time”

The Climax (263): “She was transfigured” Margaret sees the request as the only way to make Henry connect Margaret summons a collective feminine power: Defends her sister, Helen Defends the memory of Ruth Wilcox Defends the honor of Mrs. Bast Margaret’s use of the word “connection” here shows her singular ability to see the entire picture – the patriarchal code’s double standard. Margaret sees the request not as divisive, but as a bridge to helping the families heal.

How do we measure the outcome? WHO WINS THE BATTLE? WHO LOOSES? WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE COST FOR THE CENTRAL CHARACTERS?

Margaret’s maternal victory is not an emasculating one; it’s a commitment to establishing a new familial order. Helen: “You did it all, sweetest, though you’re too stupid to see. Living here was your plan – I wanted you; he wanted you; and everyone said it was impossible, but you knew. ” Margaret: “I did the obvious things. I had two invalids to nurse. Here was a house, ready furnished and empty. . . No doubt I have done little towards straightening the tangle, but things I can’t phrase have helped me. ”

Seminar Paper Topic Howards’ End What is one key event that either Margaret or Helena understand, that he other does not? How does this event affect the relationship between the sisters? How does Henry fit into this event? In what way does his action complicate the relationship between the Schlegel sisters? In what way might we argue that he represents the antagonism in the novel? DUE: 29 March