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dith_kusu 's review for:
Howards End
by E.M. Forster
On the whole I ended up agreeing with the forward writer regarding Howard’s End, its flaws and moments of transcendence, its and Forster’s place in the literary canon, and look forward to reading Forster’s other works. Also want to finally watch the movie now that I’ve gotten around to the book, and see what made it worthy of the wave of period Merchant-Ivory costume dramas in Oscars film history. Most of all I appreciated this book for being the snapshot in time of an emblematic way of life and thought that was about to be shattered by the devastation of World War I, the rumblings and misgivings of leaving an older Edwardian world behind in the midst of great social and economic upheaval around the Industrial Revolution and age of empires with British global imperialism, just as “modernity” is setting in. The characters in Margaret and Helen, the Wilcoxes with Ruth and Henry and Charles and Dolly, poor Leonard Bast- they ultimately didn’t come to life in their own merits as much as I saw in them the symbolism of what they’re each meant to represent. Also, the lamenting of destruction of nature and this idealized noble rural English countryside, while the ugliness of modern London cosmopolitan lifestyle synonymous with progress proliferates- those flowery passages are verryyy flowery and not fully to my taste, though I understand where Forster is coming from with this choice. But I appreciated the manner and content of the message enough that the overly blatant plot-convenient puppetry didn’t bother me as much as it could’ve in a book with lesser Grand Ideas to impart, that brought about such clarity of understanding about the ideals of authorial intent within the book’s setting. Particularly, as the forward writer mentioned, the first inklings of this articulation on liberal enlightenment guilt regarding their place within the changing world, in hypocritical repudiation of the ugly capitalist whose machine funds their comfortable cocooned bourgeoisie lifestyles, and in guilt over their complicity over the plight of the poor, all while harboring the attitude of condescending snobbery against the lower masses’ blinkered state against beauty and art while focusing on survival. This liberal person rumination has only gotten more relevant throughout the times, and in the current age of constant social media takes and as the wheels of capitalism turn ever larger.