Home Howards End by E.M. Forster, Fiction, Classics by E. M. Forster (ISBN: 9781603129183)

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Howards End by E.M. Forster, Fiction, Classics Hardcover - 2007

Name: Howards End by E.M. Forster, Fiction, Classics
Price: 28.94 GBP
Availability: InStock
Author: E M Forster
ISBN: 9781603129183

by E. M. Forster

Forsters most popular novel tracks British societys class warfare, as seen by members of three different castes--the wealthy Wilcoxes, the cultured and emancipated Schlegal sisters, and poor, young Leonard Bast. Revised reissue.

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About this book

E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel Howards End is definitely at the top of the author’s list of bests works (along with A Passage to India). Part of a new genre called the “condition of England” novel, Howards End is primarily set in London and Hertfordshire just a few years before World War I. The novel explores social conventions and codes of conduct through different families: sisters Margaret and Helen Schlegel, two young Bohemian intellectuals who enjoy literature and art; the Wilcoxes, a wealthy, powerful, and business-minded family; and the Basts, who are struggling in the lower-middle class. The story structure gives the reader multiple views of a single, symbolic story. From the idealism and materialism of the upper class to the belittling effects of poverty on the lower, Howards End casts light on humans and human relations in a critical, yet hopeful manner. The novel’s epigraph is also its theme: “Only connect.”

Forster based his description of Howards End on his childhood home from 1883 to 1893 — a house at Rooks Nest in Hertfordshire, an area now informally known as Forster Country. The novel itself received widespread acclaim upon publication. Howards End essentially established Forester as one of England’s greatest writers, though it was the last novel he wrote. Ranked 38th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century, Howards End has been adapted multiple times. Most notable is the 1992 triple Oscar-winning film version starring Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Anthony Hopkins, and Samuel West.

From the publisher

Margaret Schlegel is an independent middle class citizen. She is not rich by any means, but she and her family have enough to live a comfortable life. Through encounters with the Wilcox family, she eventually marries Henry Wilcox. They are wealthy middle class citizens with many prejudices against the more unfortunate folk. When Margaret realizes this, she tries to open their eyes to the plight of the lower class for Margaret feels that in order to be a good person, one should be charitable and kind. But will She be able to stand on her moral ground with the Wilcox family trying to keep her down?

First Edition Identification

London-based Edward Arnold first published Howards End in 1910. With a print run of just 2,500 copies, first editions are bound in red cloth and have no additional printings listed on the copyright page.