A Room With a View by EM Forster by Jessica

About Forster and social/historical context

Edward Morgan Forster, 1879-1970 Novel was written 1908, in the Edwardian period (1901-10) In the Edwardian era new, more liberal social behaviours were overcoming more conservative ideas of the Victorian era (1837-1901) Forster's most famous novels include: Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910), A Passage to India (1924) Travelled to Italy with his mother - Forster novels such as 'A Room With a View' and 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' are set in Italy (Tuscany) for much of the novel

Common themes in Forster novels

the triumph of liberal ideas over conservatism (expressed by the successes of 'liberal' characters) strong-willed female protagonists (yet young and innocent/naive at the beginning of the novel) such as Lucy Honeychurch in 'A Room With a View' and Lilia Herriton in 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' follows the development of the protagonist - can be described as Bildungsroman the emphasis placed on manners, etiquette and propriety, especially as the protagonists are young, single women travel - both Lilia and Lucy go on tours of Italy throughout the course of the novel - Italy represents passion, freedom and sexual expression - in comparison to England - representing repression triumph of romantic love over suitable/arranged marriages

Characters
Lucy Honeychurch - the protagonist. A young, unmarried girl touring Italy Miss Bartlett - Lucy's older cousin and chaperon in Italy Mr Emerson - a widower ridiculed by Miss Bartlett for being improper and ungentlemanly George Emerson -son of Emerson, passionate, and kind to Lucy, despite being of a lower social class. Encourages her to follow her heart Cecil Vyse - a disagreeable man who becomes Lucy's fianc for a short time. Pretentious and looks down on the country town in Surrey that Lucy's from Mr Beebe - a rector in Lucy's hometown, who happens to be touring Italy at the same time as Lucy

The use of setting in the novel

The setting of Tuscany itself within Italy can be seen as allegorical, as in 'A Room With a View' some characters are presented as 'Medieval' (Mr Beebe, Cecil Vyse and Miss Bartlett) whereas others are 'Renaissance' (Lucy Honeychurch, the Emersons). Tuscany is seen as the birthplace of the Renaissance movement.

Allusions
There are also allusions to other literary works in A Room With a View which could perhaps demonstrate that the main characters are firmly middle-class and well educated: Mr. Beebe recalls his first encounter with Lucy was hearing her play the first of the two movements of Beethoven's final piano sonata, Opus 111. While visiting the Emersons Mr. Beebe contemplates the numerous books strewn around. "I fancy they know how to read a rare accomplishment. What have they got? Byron. Exactly. A Shropshire Lad. Never heard of it. The Way of All Flesh. Never heard of it. Gibbon.

Hullo! Dear George reads German. Um um Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and so we go on. Well, I suppose your generation knows its own business, Honeychurch." Towards the end of Part One, Cecil quotes a few unidentified stanzas ("Come down, O maid, from yonder mountain height", etc.). They are from Tennyson's narrative poem "The Princess".

Wider Reading Links

'A Room With a View', Forster - very similar themes in both novels, both can be described as social comedies 'Pride and Prejudice', Austen - the importance of class and social position is clear in both novels. However the comical elements of 'P&P' are much more exaggerated - for example the exaggerated character of Mrs Bennet 'Tis Pity She's A Whore', Ford - like Forster, Ford sets 'Tis Pity' in Italy (although entirely in Italy in 'Tis Pity') and the play follows the development of Annabella and Giovanni and their relationship - similar to the Bildungsroman style used in 'A Room With A View'. Also both texts present the triumph of romantic love over class and moral boundaries (whether there really is a triumph by Annabella and Giovanni in the play is questionable) 'Reminiscence', Jennings - similarity between this poem, which presents the once-innocence of the persona, which she lost as she grew older, and Lucy's naive character, although Lucy becomes more aware of the complexities of the wider world and of love, but not in a fully negative way, as Jennings presents it