Howards’End. This turn of the century novel with its deceptively languorous pace is one of EM Forster’s finest. Not just because of its elegant prose, but also for the force of its ideas. The story is dominated by 3 kinds of people – the thinkers as represented by the Schlegels, Margeret and Helen; the doers or the Wilcoxes and the wannabes or the Basts. The Schlegels, the main protagonists of the novel, are enthusiastic purveyors of art, literature and music. They are sensitive and imaginative, perhaps a legacy from their German father. The Wilcoxes on the other hand, are good, solid British citizens, not given much to imagination. At their best they are hardworking and dependable, at their worst they are cold and blinkered. The mother, Ruth Wilcox, is something of an exception. In Margaret Schlegel, she is able to find a kindred spirit who is able to grasp something of her passion for her home, Howards’ End.
The house itself is a recurring motif in the novel. The third factor, Leonard Bast is an impoverished young man whose head is stuffed with intellectual nonsense. He yearns for the innate understanding of art and culture that characterizes the Schlegels, but eludes him. The worlds of the three keep colliding. Along the way, the double standards that rule the lives of men and women are exposed. Ruth Wilcox bequeathes Howards’ End to Margaret, a wish disregarded by her family as a dying woman’s madness. Later, Mr. Wilcox marries Margeret. But what is Leonard Bast’s wife’s connection to the Wilcoxes? Why does Helen Schlegel disappear for months on end? And what issues does her return raise? Issues that threaten the very foundation of their existence, the Wilcoxes, the Schegels and the Basts? And what becomes of Howards’ end? EM Forster displays extraordinary empathy for women. If you’re interested in something a little deeper than run-of-the-mill fiction, yet thoroughly readable, pick this up.