Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F For
Collection
Publication
Reader's Digest Association (1989), Edition: 1st, 302 pages
Description
In this hard-hitting novel, first published in 1924, the murky personal relationship between an Englishwoman and an Indian doctor mirrors the troubled politics of colonialism. Adela Quested and her fellow British travelers, eager to experience the "real" India, develop a friendship with the urbane Dr. Aziz. While on a group outing, Adela and Dr. Aziz visit the Marabar caves together. As they emerge, Adela accuses the doctor of assaulting her. While Adela never actually claims she was raped, the decisions she makes ostracize her from both her countrymen and the natives, setting off a complex chain of events that forever changes the lives of all involved. This intense and moving story asks the listener serious questions about preconceptions regarding race, sex, religion, and truth. A political and philosophical masterpiece.… (more)
Subjects
Original publication date
1924
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LibraryThing member ChocolateMuse
Forster is not an author who panders to his readers. He puts us at a distance. Something about his prose, as well as his characters, has the feeling of letting his readers sink or swim; he doesn't really mind which. But that is not to hold anything against Forster. This is a novel of towering
From what I could see, there are two themes or ideas that lie at the heart of this novel. One is the intricacy of friendship between two vastly different people - a theme he explores in Howards End and A Room With a View as well. And the other is an even more complicated idea - and courageous too - that of colonialism, racism and the pitfalls and tensions involved with the meeting of different cultures.
The friendship between Aziz, a Muslim-Indian doctor, illogical, warm-hearted and impulsive - and Fielding, a British schoolteacher with an unusual lack of prejudice and equality of vision among colonialists of the time, is fraught with unexpected pitfalls, sudden yawning chasms, and much damage accidentally inflicted. Both men try to overcome these things, honestly liking and respecting the other - but Forster makes it clear that there is too much against them. India and Britain, Forster is saying, cannot combine, cannot find common ground, even with the best will in the world.
Which brings us to the other, main theme of the novel, the whole vast idea of British rule in India. Forster finished writing this book in 1924, when British Imperialism was in all its power, and as such, this is a brave book. Neither the British nor the Indian people come out looking very good - Forster doesn't seem to be on anybody's side. There are many things I could say which Forster brings out about all this, but what struck me most of all while reading it was something very difficult to discuss about racism. A lack of racism, Forster seems to be saying, tends to come about by the understanding that 'underneath' it all, 'they' are really the same as 'us'. And Forster challenges this. Again and again, he brings out situations in which it is clear that 'they' are not the same (by 'they' I mean both British and Indian characters, both trying to be reconciled to each other). In the most fundamental things, vast differences are constantly rearing their heads, and understandings that were just about to happen come to nothing. Through the characters of Fielding and Aziz in particular, and others also, Forster seemed to me to be questioning how there can be any validity in a tolerance that refuses to accept fundamental differences in things related to judgement, honour, worship, the value of logic, and other things that come much closer to the bone than the outer differences usually passed off as a person's "culture". And to go any further than that in my analysis leaves me floundering, because I don't know nearly enough to discuss it properly. But Forster gives much to think about which is as relevant now as it was then.
How fully did Forster himself escape that incredibly permeating influence of the colonialist way of thinking? For me it was hard to tell, but I couldn't help wondering. As much as Forster hated the smug, narrow, paternalistic British, he also seems to find all that was India at the time to be consistently disappointing. But I can't really feel that this is persistent colonialism - I think it's more to do with Forster's idea that what is, is - and to judge it by our own standards is to fail to judge it by somebody else's, just as valid.
These are deep waters, and I'll stop there, except to say that this is of course not only about difficult themes, it is also about characters, plot and story. The incident at the Marabar Caves and its aftermath kept me on the edge of my seat - this in spite of the fact that Forster himself was sorry that a novel cannot exist without story, that primitive (and to him, demeaning) need to know "what happens next". I certainly wanted to know what happened next, and cared about the characters (especially Aziz) as much as I would in a much less importantly-themed novel.
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intellect, and my feeling of distance is added to by the fact that I know I've missed much of what is brilliant in the novel. But I've learned not to let myself be intimidated by this, otherwise I'd never read anything great at all - and this novel is definitely among the greats of Modernist literature.From what I could see, there are two themes or ideas that lie at the heart of this novel. One is the intricacy of friendship between two vastly different people - a theme he explores in Howards End and A Room With a View as well. And the other is an even more complicated idea - and courageous too - that of colonialism, racism and the pitfalls and tensions involved with the meeting of different cultures.
The friendship between Aziz, a Muslim-Indian doctor, illogical, warm-hearted and impulsive - and Fielding, a British schoolteacher with an unusual lack of prejudice and equality of vision among colonialists of the time, is fraught with unexpected pitfalls, sudden yawning chasms, and much damage accidentally inflicted. Both men try to overcome these things, honestly liking and respecting the other - but Forster makes it clear that there is too much against them. India and Britain, Forster is saying, cannot combine, cannot find common ground, even with the best will in the world.
Which brings us to the other, main theme of the novel, the whole vast idea of British rule in India. Forster finished writing this book in 1924, when British Imperialism was in all its power, and as such, this is a brave book. Neither the British nor the Indian people come out looking very good - Forster doesn't seem to be on anybody's side. There are many things I could say which Forster brings out about all this, but what struck me most of all while reading it was something very difficult to discuss about racism. A lack of racism, Forster seems to be saying, tends to come about by the understanding that 'underneath' it all, 'they' are really the same as 'us'. And Forster challenges this. Again and again, he brings out situations in which it is clear that 'they' are not the same (by 'they' I mean both British and Indian characters, both trying to be reconciled to each other). In the most fundamental things, vast differences are constantly rearing their heads, and understandings that were just about to happen come to nothing. Through the characters of Fielding and Aziz in particular, and others also, Forster seemed to me to be questioning how there can be any validity in a tolerance that refuses to accept fundamental differences in things related to judgement, honour, worship, the value of logic, and other things that come much closer to the bone than the outer differences usually passed off as a person's "culture". And to go any further than that in my analysis leaves me floundering, because I don't know nearly enough to discuss it properly. But Forster gives much to think about which is as relevant now as it was then.
How fully did Forster himself escape that incredibly permeating influence of the colonialist way of thinking? For me it was hard to tell, but I couldn't help wondering. As much as Forster hated the smug, narrow, paternalistic British, he also seems to find all that was India at the time to be consistently disappointing. But I can't really feel that this is persistent colonialism - I think it's more to do with Forster's idea that what is, is - and to judge it by our own standards is to fail to judge it by somebody else's, just as valid.
These are deep waters, and I'll stop there, except to say that this is of course not only about difficult themes, it is also about characters, plot and story. The incident at the Marabar Caves and its aftermath kept me on the edge of my seat - this in spite of the fact that Forster himself was sorry that a novel cannot exist without story, that primitive (and to him, demeaning) need to know "what happens next". I certainly wanted to know what happened next, and cared about the characters (especially Aziz) as much as I would in a much less importantly-themed novel.
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LibraryThing member The_Hibernator
Contains light spoilers.
With a backdrop of British Colonial India, A Passage to India is the story of Dr. Aziz, a Muslim Indian physician who is sympathetic and welcoming of the Brits. The story begins with Dr. Aziz meeting an elderly lady who is visiting her son with Miss Quested, a flighty
A Passage to India was a fantastic book on so many levels. With Miss Quested's ill-advised acceptance of Dr. Aziz's invitation (among many other ill-advised behaviors from the ladies), it highlights the differences between Indian culture and British culture. Dr. Aziz is overly accommodating, and the stand-offish British are entirely unaware of his putting himself out--they take all his welcoming exuberance quite literally.
The characterization was also quite deep. For instance, it showed Miss Quested's priggishness by her wish to see a "real Indian," her pronounced reserve by her interactions with her potential fiance, and her openness to suggestion by her continued accusations of Dr. Aziz (which she seemed unsure of, but which were egged on by others of the British community).
The writing style was sleek and symbolic. For instance at one point, before any of the horrifying incidents unfold, Mrs. Moore sees a wasp which reminds her vaguely of Indian culture. This wasp foreshadows the horrible events that follow.
And most importantly, the A Passage to India outlined the failings of British colonialism, the blindness and priggishness of the British impressions of Indian people, and the resulting hostilities.
I loved this book. This is my first Forster book that I've read, and it will most certainly not be my last.
With a backdrop of British Colonial India, A Passage to India is the story of Dr. Aziz, a Muslim Indian physician who is sympathetic and welcoming of the Brits. The story begins with Dr. Aziz meeting an elderly lady who is visiting her son with Miss Quested, a flighty
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priggish young woman who wants to meet a "real Indian." Dr. Aziz, in welcoming exuberance, gives a polite but insincere invitation to his house and is shocked when Miss Quested takes him up on the offer. Embarrassed by his home, Dr. Aziz instead suggests that he host a trip to the Marabar caves. But in those caves, Miss Quested gets lost, and in her fear thinks that Dr. Aziz has accosted her, when he is actually in another cave looking for her. A Passage to India was a fantastic book on so many levels. With Miss Quested's ill-advised acceptance of Dr. Aziz's invitation (among many other ill-advised behaviors from the ladies), it highlights the differences between Indian culture and British culture. Dr. Aziz is overly accommodating, and the stand-offish British are entirely unaware of his putting himself out--they take all his welcoming exuberance quite literally.
The characterization was also quite deep. For instance, it showed Miss Quested's priggishness by her wish to see a "real Indian," her pronounced reserve by her interactions with her potential fiance, and her openness to suggestion by her continued accusations of Dr. Aziz (which she seemed unsure of, but which were egged on by others of the British community).
The writing style was sleek and symbolic. For instance at one point, before any of the horrifying incidents unfold, Mrs. Moore sees a wasp which reminds her vaguely of Indian culture. This wasp foreshadows the horrible events that follow.
And most importantly, the A Passage to India outlined the failings of British colonialism, the blindness and priggishness of the British impressions of Indian people, and the resulting hostilities.
I loved this book. This is my first Forster book that I've read, and it will most certainly not be my last.
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LibraryThing member libbromus
"One touch of regret--not the canny substitute but the true regret from the heart--would have made him a different man, and the British Empire a different institution."
I'm not sure quite what to think about this story. In some ways it is banal; in some ways suspenseful and interesting. It never had
"And he felt dubious and discontented suddenly, and wondered whether he was really and truly successful as a human being. After forty years' experience, he had learnt to manage his life and make the best of it on advanced European lines, had developed his personality, explored his limitations, controlled his passions--and had done it all without becoming either pedantic or worldly. A creditable achievement, but as the moment passed, he felt he ought to have been working at something else the whole time,--he didn't know at what, never would know, never could know, and that was why he felt sad."
I'm not sure quite what to think about this story. In some ways it is banal; in some ways suspenseful and interesting. It never had
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me by the heart or feeling excessive emotions, but the stiff upper-lip writing was still compelling. E.M. Forster took several philosophical detours throughout the book that I found the most enjoyable, if not slightly beside the story. My experience of the Indian people I know intimately mirrors Forster's in many ways and so I was credulous in his descriptions of the "native" mind, where someone else not well-acquainted with Indian people may have found the descriptions of attitudes and behaviors suspect. It seems like he might be writing to negate the old adage that "no man is an island." The saying is irrefutable and yet one can be stranded in the midst of humanity. This is a story of people making full- and half-hearted attempts to connect to other people across class, racial, and religious lines, and they ultimately fail but it's not as sad as it sounds. It's almost expected. "And he felt dubious and discontented suddenly, and wondered whether he was really and truly successful as a human being. After forty years' experience, he had learnt to manage his life and make the best of it on advanced European lines, had developed his personality, explored his limitations, controlled his passions--and had done it all without becoming either pedantic or worldly. A creditable achievement, but as the moment passed, he felt he ought to have been working at something else the whole time,--he didn't know at what, never would know, never could know, and that was why he felt sad."
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LibraryThing member bodachliath
This was clearly an important novel in its day, but it is difficult to enjoy it today without being clouded by memories of films and other adaptations, and to understand the history without imposing hindsight. Having read Damon Galgut's novel on Forster and the events leading up to the publication
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of this book recently, that inevitably clouded my judgment too. For all that, this is an unsentimental view of the Raj and its hypocrisy and misunderstandings, with a powerful human story at its core. Show Less
LibraryThing member AMQS
This was the March selection of my book club. By some happy accident, the copy I read -- purchased years ago at a Friends of the Library sale -- was marked through, underlined, annotated, etc. for a literature class, which was a little distracting at first, and then helped me to appreciate literary
The first third of the book was hard to get into -- tedious, even, while the last two-thirds were unputdownable. The author describes misunderstandings, both willful and innocent, between English characters, and the native and English-educated Muslim and Hindu characters, with slights on both sides both immaterial and devastating. The story centers around a muslim doctor, Aziz, who befriends the English educator Cyril Fielding, and makes the acquaintance of two visiting British ladies, Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore. On an sightseeing excursion to the Marabar caves, Dr. Aziz is accused of assaulting Miss Quested in one of the caves. The ensuing uproar, trial, and resolution leave the entire community and all concerned individuals changed forever. I found it beautiful, thought-provoking, and infuriating at times. I wondered a lot about "the real India" -- as Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore did, though the "real" India is an undefinable, enigmatic entity utterly changed by the British and their rule -- and departure.
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themes and elements (the significance of repeated mentions of snakes, wasps, unity, the divine etc.) that I would otherwise have missed. Funny enough, my last read was Light in August, which I'm glad I read, but didn't particularly enjoy. I was filled with an irritation for the southern characters -- so backward! so racist! so religion-crazed! Lo and behold, another classic novel gripped by racial tension and conflict, this time perpetuated by the enlightened, secular, highly educated rulers of the British Raj of early 20th century India. The first third of the book was hard to get into -- tedious, even, while the last two-thirds were unputdownable. The author describes misunderstandings, both willful and innocent, between English characters, and the native and English-educated Muslim and Hindu characters, with slights on both sides both immaterial and devastating. The story centers around a muslim doctor, Aziz, who befriends the English educator Cyril Fielding, and makes the acquaintance of two visiting British ladies, Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore. On an sightseeing excursion to the Marabar caves, Dr. Aziz is accused of assaulting Miss Quested in one of the caves. The ensuing uproar, trial, and resolution leave the entire community and all concerned individuals changed forever. I found it beautiful, thought-provoking, and infuriating at times. I wondered a lot about "the real India" -- as Miss Quested and Mrs. Moore did, though the "real" India is an undefinable, enigmatic entity utterly changed by the British and their rule -- and departure.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
Forster delivers a great work of literature that both entertains and makes a social statement of racism. It explores relationships of the British and the Indian but also Christian, Moslem and Hindu. The time period is the Indian independence movement of 1920. Forster develops characters so that we
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can sympathize with both their positive and not so positive characters. The story starts with an older and younger woman who have traveled to India, the older woman is able to love the Indian and the younger is in love with India but not the Indian. What Forster does well is show the reader through his characters how communication and cultural differences really can be miles apart even when seemingly talking the same language. I enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone who likes historical and political novels as well as books set in India. Show Less
LibraryThing member gbill
Why I would say "read it": The book's descriptions of the difficulties that arise out of "cultures colliding" because of Imperialism (and to some extent within India itself), as well as the descriptions of British racism, which comes out subtly at times and quite overtly at others. Written in 1924,
Why I didn't like it as much as others: the story was not all that interesting to me, and I thought the book could have been pared down. I also don't think the book is particularly well-written; among other things the descriptions of India's religious ceremonies were muddled and confusing.
Favorite quotes:
Persian grave inscription:
"Alas, without me for thousands of years
The Rose will blossom and the Spring will bloom,
But those who have secretly understood my heart -
They will approach and visit the grave where I lie."
"Trying to recover his temper, he said, 'India likes gods.'
'And Englishmen like posing as gods.'"
"....a poem should touch the hearer with a sense of his own weakness, and should institute some comparison between mankind and flowers."
"The train in its descent through the Vindyas had described a semicircle round Asirgarh. What could she connect it with except its own name? Nothing; she knew no one who lived there. But it had looked at her twice and seemed to say: 'I do not vanish.'"
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the book is ahead of its time and foreshadows the events that took place in 1947. Why I didn't like it as much as others: the story was not all that interesting to me, and I thought the book could have been pared down. I also don't think the book is particularly well-written; among other things the descriptions of India's religious ceremonies were muddled and confusing.
Favorite quotes:
Persian grave inscription:
"Alas, without me for thousands of years
The Rose will blossom and the Spring will bloom,
But those who have secretly understood my heart -
They will approach and visit the grave where I lie."
"Trying to recover his temper, he said, 'India likes gods.'
'And Englishmen like posing as gods.'"
"....a poem should touch the hearer with a sense of his own weakness, and should institute some comparison between mankind and flowers."
"The train in its descent through the Vindyas had described a semicircle round Asirgarh. What could she connect it with except its own name? Nothing; she knew no one who lived there. But it had looked at her twice and seemed to say: 'I do not vanish.'"
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LibraryThing member Carmenere
Comments: Very interesting novel in which east meets west (albeit not very successfully) in British India at the turn of the century. Cultures, religions and personalities clash, characters, such as, Dr. Aziz, Cyril Fielding and Adela try to be people they are not and the reader anticipates what
Why I read it now: E. M. Forster is the LT author of the month and I just happened to have this one languishing on my book shelf.
Recommended: highly, for readers who enjoy historical novels, cultural diversity and humanitarian issues.
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will happen to them after a fateful excursion to Marabar Caves. I usually check out a location I'm reading about on Google Earth and was a bit surprised to find that Forster's Maramar Caves are actually the Barabar Caves and I am puzzled as to why he changed the name. If anyone knows why.........Why I read it now: E. M. Forster is the LT author of the month and I just happened to have this one languishing on my book shelf.
Recommended: highly, for readers who enjoy historical novels, cultural diversity and humanitarian issues.
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LibraryThing member lamotamant
I can't say I'm a Forster fanatic after reading A Passage to India but I did enjoy the writing and the questions the content brought up. Not just in a racism context but, in all honesty, a general-human context even more so. From race to religion, we're so quick to classify ourselves and others.
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Then to set ourselves apart from various classifications as if that somehow gives us worthiness. My main view of this book is that it's excellent in it's ability to show all the idiocy for what it is, misunderstandings and the mayhem that results. Show Less
LibraryThing member poetontheone
SPOILERS BELOW
Forster’s novel details the conflict between the colonizers and the colonized, England and India respectively, with narrow brushstrokes. We learn about how this tension infects through personal relationships between men and women, men and men, English and Indians, Muslims and
The relationships in the book rest on uneven ground. The adoration and admiration between Aziz and Mrs. Moore or later Aziz and Fielding are thrown into doubt when muddled by the conflict and suspicion birthed by Aziz’s trial. The remainder of the book seeps with uneasiness and doubt regarding the validity and sincerity of Fielding and Aziz’s bond, with Aziz erroneously believing Fielding is to marry Adela. The first half of the book builds on Adela’s uncertainty in marrying Ronny, her state of mind eventually leading to Aziz’s trial when she falsely accuses him of assault.
Alison Sainsbury asserts that the impossibility of of a bond between England and India hinges on the sentiment of the book’s final line: “‘they said in their hundred voices, No, not yet, and the sky said ‘not there’” (362). Sainsbury notes that Forster “illustrates how imperial rule distorts human relations”. This is evident in Aziz’s and FIelding’s last conversation where they sportingly debate about colonization, each espousing a distaste for the other’s country and its inhabitants. Fielding thinks, “Aziz was a memento, a trophy, they were proud of each other, yet they must inevitably part” (358). These two examples highlight how relations between the two countries and peoples have been constructed by imperialism, and how to divert from that specific mentality is to create a psychic disturbance whereby any bonds of friendship are inherently distorted and personal communication poisoned by historical prejudice. It is almost impossible for Aziz and Fielding to not see each other as specifically tied to the historicism of English and Indian, respectively, once other voices such as Ronny Heaslop or Hamidullah intervene and reassert the the venom of historical conflict. To say that this conflict can be overcome by individual friendships, or even that such friendships can thrive, is to assert the possibility that such venom will fade, and even though nearly a century has passed since Forster’s novel was published, tensions linger and such a reality is questionable.
Forster’s novel details the conflict between the colonizers and the colonized, England and India respectively, with narrow brushstrokes. We learn about how this tension infects through personal relationships between men and women, men and men, English and Indians, Muslims and
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Hindus. We also are made to contemplate if this conflict can be overcome even on a personal level, much less a diplomatic one. The short answer to both is a hesitant denial. The relationships in the book rest on uneven ground. The adoration and admiration between Aziz and Mrs. Moore or later Aziz and Fielding are thrown into doubt when muddled by the conflict and suspicion birthed by Aziz’s trial. The remainder of the book seeps with uneasiness and doubt regarding the validity and sincerity of Fielding and Aziz’s bond, with Aziz erroneously believing Fielding is to marry Adela. The first half of the book builds on Adela’s uncertainty in marrying Ronny, her state of mind eventually leading to Aziz’s trial when she falsely accuses him of assault.
Alison Sainsbury asserts that the impossibility of of a bond between England and India hinges on the sentiment of the book’s final line: “‘they said in their hundred voices, No, not yet, and the sky said ‘not there’” (362). Sainsbury notes that Forster “illustrates how imperial rule distorts human relations”. This is evident in Aziz’s and FIelding’s last conversation where they sportingly debate about colonization, each espousing a distaste for the other’s country and its inhabitants. Fielding thinks, “Aziz was a memento, a trophy, they were proud of each other, yet they must inevitably part” (358). These two examples highlight how relations between the two countries and peoples have been constructed by imperialism, and how to divert from that specific mentality is to create a psychic disturbance whereby any bonds of friendship are inherently distorted and personal communication poisoned by historical prejudice. It is almost impossible for Aziz and Fielding to not see each other as specifically tied to the historicism of English and Indian, respectively, once other voices such as Ronny Heaslop or Hamidullah intervene and reassert the the venom of historical conflict. To say that this conflict can be overcome by individual friendships, or even that such friendships can thrive, is to assert the possibility that such venom will fade, and even though nearly a century has passed since Forster’s novel was published, tensions linger and such a reality is questionable.
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LibraryThing member hazelk
When I read this in my early 20s I couldn't wait to get to the chapters on the trip to the Marabar Caves and read the preceding chapters too quickly. Now, in maturer years, I can really appreciate this novel. There is much subtlety in the writing and characterisation. He neither over-romanticises
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India and the Indians and, though some of the British working in the colonial service are wincingly distasteful, there are balances here as well and not just with the characterisation of Fielding. Nothing is clear cut. A certain mysteriousness overlays the whole novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmoj
This book is not for those who want to jump in and devour a book. Mrs. Moore and Adela want to see the "real India" not just that which their government views as the most "civilised", i.e., most like British colonialism can make them. Mrs. Moore meets an Indian doctor who agrees to take Mrs. Moore
Forster's strength lies in his ability to connect us to the characters and places, perhaps he does this too well as I wanted to read idly on about those characters. Forster also does a good job of understand both the British and Indian mindsets of this time period.
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and Adela to a local caves. What happens from this innocent invitation drives the story to its conclusion.Forster's strength lies in his ability to connect us to the characters and places, perhaps he does this too well as I wanted to read idly on about those characters. Forster also does a good job of understand both the British and Indian mindsets of this time period.
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LibraryThing member booklove2
It was about time I got to this classic and a classic it is. It's so vivid and shares the perspective of both England and India so well that I'm surprised it was written so long ago. Dr. Aziz is accused of offending a British lady, Miss Quested at the Marabar Caves but there is also
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misunderstanding from Dr. Aziz with his friend Fielding - his only British defender at the trial. There is a lot of exploring of India here (the entire book never leaves India), though Dr. Aziz makes an interesting (yet cynical) point that the British only wish to explore India to conquer it. Dr. Aziz is somewhat open to having British friends in the beginning of the book (with certain people anyway) but that changes after the misunderstandings. The book touches on culture, class, race, religion. Dr. Aziz has to be one of the earliest fully developed Indian characters and from only a British perspective, the book may have disappeared long ago. Great characters, great settings and great writing. Yep, it's a classic. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandDune
Set in India in the years of the British Empire perhaps just before the First World War the book tells the story of Miss Quested, an Englishwoman who has travelled to Chandrapore in India to decide whether or not to marry Ronny Heaslop, the City Magistrate, whom she has known in England. Both Miss
I found this a really rewarding book, and much more than a portrait of a society that has long gone. The relations of the British to the Indian communities, both Hindu and Moslem and the relations of those communities to each other seem well drawn. The racism of the English is bound up strongly with the power politics of their presence in India - while they are happy to treat educated Indians on equal terms in England it is a very different case in India itself. Initially the book does seem to be dealing solely with the consequences of a racist society, but at the end seems rather more complex - dealing with the possibilities of friendship between the two nationalities in the political situation of British India.
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Quested and Mrs Moore, Heaslop's mother who has accompanied her on her trip, want to see something of the 'real' India. But this proves difficult as the British and Indian communities are completely separate and a 'Bridge' party put on for their benefit to bridge the gap between the two cultures proves a disaster. But through Fielding, the headmaster of the local school, they become acquainted with his friend Dr Aziz, a surgeon at the local hospital, by whom they are invited on a trip to the Marabar Caves, the only local site of interest. Fielding is already a person of suspicion in the British community for his unusually close relations with Indians and his suggestion that rather than being white, the British are really 'pinky-grey' in colour. The trip to the caves goes badly; Miss Quested returns alone accusing Dr Aziz of assault. The community becomes polarised along racial and national lines with Fielding ostracised for supporting his friend, and violence seems likely to ensue.I found this a really rewarding book, and much more than a portrait of a society that has long gone. The relations of the British to the Indian communities, both Hindu and Moslem and the relations of those communities to each other seem well drawn. The racism of the English is bound up strongly with the power politics of their presence in India - while they are happy to treat educated Indians on equal terms in England it is a very different case in India itself. Initially the book does seem to be dealing solely with the consequences of a racist society, but at the end seems rather more complex - dealing with the possibilities of friendship between the two nationalities in the political situation of British India.
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LibraryThing member SFM13
“A Passage to India” takes place during the early years of Britain’s colonization of the government. The Indian citizens are looked on as a lesser race in their own country! Western ways are thought to be desired by the natives … the foods, dress, etc… are copied. The white man is catered
The country is beautifully described, but the meat of the story revolves around racial conflict.
At the caves, a suspicious assault on Adela takes place, and in her disoriented state she falsely accuses Aziz as her “attacker.” When the case goes to trial, Ronny sends his mother home rather than let her testify, because she believes Aziz is innocent. When Adela is called to the stand she recants her earlier testimony and denies the charge against Aziz, claiming she was and is confused about the situation. After Adela changes her story, Ronny breaks the engagement. Ronny believes the stereotype that Indian men lust after white women. Mr. Felding, an Englishman, but also a friend of the Indian doctor tries to remain loyal. Even so Aziz has lost his faith in “whites” after the ordeal he went through when held suspect for the crime.
The misunderstanding of intentions can’t be avoided when considering the different beliefs of these two cultures.
Forster leaves us to ponder the difficulties that mixing race and cultures can bring, as well as the danger of prejudices.
I recommend that this book not be overlooked. And if you think I’ve spoiled the story by revealing too much, there are many parts not mentioned that will surprise you and keep you reading until the end.
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to for the wealth he brings which amounts to little more than pennies for the natives. Mrs. Moore is visiting from England with Adela Quested, a young woman, who is to marry her son Ronny, a magistrate, in the town of Chandapore. The two women are anxious to see the real India. Not the recreation of English life in an Indian setting. Not the typical elephant ride, but everyday life of common Indians. In a mosque Mrs. Moore becomes acquainted with an Indian doctor, Aziz, who offers to take her and Miss Quested on a tour of the Marabar Caves.The country is beautifully described, but the meat of the story revolves around racial conflict.
At the caves, a suspicious assault on Adela takes place, and in her disoriented state she falsely accuses Aziz as her “attacker.” When the case goes to trial, Ronny sends his mother home rather than let her testify, because she believes Aziz is innocent. When Adela is called to the stand she recants her earlier testimony and denies the charge against Aziz, claiming she was and is confused about the situation. After Adela changes her story, Ronny breaks the engagement. Ronny believes the stereotype that Indian men lust after white women. Mr. Felding, an Englishman, but also a friend of the Indian doctor tries to remain loyal. Even so Aziz has lost his faith in “whites” after the ordeal he went through when held suspect for the crime.
The misunderstanding of intentions can’t be avoided when considering the different beliefs of these two cultures.
Forster leaves us to ponder the difficulties that mixing race and cultures can bring, as well as the danger of prejudices.
I recommend that this book not be overlooked. And if you think I’ve spoiled the story by revealing too much, there are many parts not mentioned that will surprise you and keep you reading until the end.
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LibraryThing member rizeandshine
In A Passage to India, Forster writes about ruling British colonials and their relationship with India in the early 1900s. At the heart of the story are complex issues of empire, race, religion, cultural differences, mistrust, decency, and tension between the English (Anglo-Indians), Muslims and
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Hindus. It raises the question of the possibility of friendship between an Englishman and an Indian in the context of British colonialism. The relationship between the British and Indian characters is quite compelling and is told from a number of different voices; characters whose emotions and feelings are based on their perceptions of each other through distorted racial prejudice.Forster uses his experiences as a foreigner abroad to paint a picture of India as striking and beautiful, a diverse "muddle" of formless countryside, unidentifiable nature and various ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, under the ordered and authoritative yet condescending rule of colonial Britain. Two women, Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested, arrive seeking the "real" India of adventure and mystery, and resolve to experience it without the prejudices exhibited by their English compatriots. They soon meet a young Muslim Indian physician, Dr. Aziz, whose relationship with his unpleasant superiors has made him scornful of the English. Aziz quickly develops a deep respect for Mrs. Moore, however, and pronounces her Oriental. Through Mrs. Moore, he also develops a tentative friendship with Cyril Fielding, an educator who is interested in discovering more about India. Aziz organizes a tour of the Marabar Caves for his new friends, and from this the central crisis arises. The crux of the story is the mystery or "muddle" of what did or did not occur at the caves and the harm the incident brings to each of the main characters and their relationships with each other. As Aziz says, until India is free from the British, an Indian and an Englishman cannot be true friends.I really enjoyed this book, especially the interactions of the characters who often misunderstand each other's words or intentions due to linguistic and cultural differences. The prose was philosophical and poetic, yet easy to read. The larger questions of racism and oppression explored in the novel continue to resonate today. Show Less
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
A brilliant novel that stands well the test of time. And so perfectly descriptive I wish that I could actually visit the places that Forster creates in his imagination.
LibraryThing member santhony
A Passage to India, written by E. M. Forster in 1924, is on many short lists of greatest novels written in the 20th century, and deservedly so. It is a period piece, set in the British Raj of the 1920s. It is rich in imagery and symbolism, focusing on bigotry, hypocrisy and mistrust among the
At its heart, is the friendship between the Muslim Indian professional, Dr. Aziz, and the English dowager, Mrs. Moore, who has accompanied her son’s presumptive fiancée to meet him in Chandrapore. Aziz, Mrs. Moore and Mr. Fielding, a British schoolmaster, struggle to bridge the abyss existing between the British and native cultures. For their troubles, they are punished, each in distinctive ways.
Having seen the movie, an excellent flick by the way, I was intimately familiar with the tale. The Victorian style of writing, however, really brought the story to life and breathed life into the characters. Some may find the writing too florid or archaic for their tastes, but I found it beneficial in setting a mood for the story.
While the driving force behind the book is the social interaction (or lack of) and the cultural divide between the British administrators and what they view as their morally and intellectually inferior native Indian subjects, a subtext is the mistrust and tension existing between the Hindu and Moslem religious communities.
As Aziz becomes increasingly disenchanted with his British overlords, he begins to fall in with Indian nationalists. The question of the viability of an “Indian” state, in the presence of such a politically, ethnically and religiously fragmented populace is periodically raised. Very perceptive writing, coming as it does over twenty years prior to Indian independence, civil war and ultimately partition.
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various nationalities and religions present within the story. Idealism, naivety and human nature also play parts.At its heart, is the friendship between the Muslim Indian professional, Dr. Aziz, and the English dowager, Mrs. Moore, who has accompanied her son’s presumptive fiancée to meet him in Chandrapore. Aziz, Mrs. Moore and Mr. Fielding, a British schoolmaster, struggle to bridge the abyss existing between the British and native cultures. For their troubles, they are punished, each in distinctive ways.
Having seen the movie, an excellent flick by the way, I was intimately familiar with the tale. The Victorian style of writing, however, really brought the story to life and breathed life into the characters. Some may find the writing too florid or archaic for their tastes, but I found it beneficial in setting a mood for the story.
While the driving force behind the book is the social interaction (or lack of) and the cultural divide between the British administrators and what they view as their morally and intellectually inferior native Indian subjects, a subtext is the mistrust and tension existing between the Hindu and Moslem religious communities.
As Aziz becomes increasingly disenchanted with his British overlords, he begins to fall in with Indian nationalists. The question of the viability of an “Indian” state, in the presence of such a politically, ethnically and religiously fragmented populace is periodically raised. Very perceptive writing, coming as it does over twenty years prior to Indian independence, civil war and ultimately partition.
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LibraryThing member Widsith
‘The past! the infinite greatness of the past!’ thrilled Walt Whitman in ‘A Passage to India’. A quarter of a century later, Forster borrowed Whitman's title, but with a very different mood in mind. In place of the American's wild-eyed certainties, Forster gives us echoes and confusion;
Animals and birds are half-seen, unidentified; the landscape is a featureless blur; motives are illogical and rest on miscommunication. All human language, in the final analysis, amounts to nothing more than the dull ou-boum thrown back from the Malabar caves during the fateful expedition at the heart of the novel. ‘If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same – “ou-boum”.’
Will Self once recommend as an exercise reducing a novel to a single word (he suggested in the case of The Naked Lunch, for instance, that it would be ‘insect’). For A Passage to India, that keyword would be ‘muddle’ – a term that recurs, gradually shedding its cosiness and accreting a sense of existential indistinctness, a kind of cosmic flou that renders good intentions, indeed all human endeavour, futile. ‘I like mysteries,’ says Mrs Moore, the novel's moral core, ‘but I rather dislike muddles.’ Elsewhere, Forster talks with something like dread of a ‘spiritual muddledom’ for which ‘no high-sounding words can be found’.
The plot of this book is, at times, heart-poundingly dramatic, but Forster is careful to make sure that even this is founded on doubt and indecision. In fact, what one thinks of as ‘the plot’ of A Passage to India is a storyline that arises, reaches its climax, and is resolved entirely within the second of the book's three acts. What then, you might ask, is the point of parts one and three? Well, among other things they prevent the plot from seeming too tidy – there is always something before the beginning, something after the end, to frustrate neat conclusions. ‘Adventures do occur,’ he says, ‘but not punctually.’ Life isn't tidy – it's a muddle.
British India is a perfect setting for this kind of exploration: not only does it play host to numerous individual confusions, it is itself, as it were, the political embodiment of such a confusion. One of the wonderful things about this book is that the obvious hypocrisy and conflict between the English and the Indians is not left to stand alone, as a heavy-handed message, but is echoed by similar divisions between Muslim and Hindu, man and woman, young and old, devotee and atheist. Still, it is the gulf of understanding between the British rulers and their Indian subjects that provides the most interesting material for Forster's bitter social comedy. Most of the Brits are deliciously dislikable, couching their racism in patriotic slogans, droning through the national anthem every evening at the Club, and – like one of the wives – learning only enough of the language to speak to the servants (‘so she knew none of the politer forms, and of the verbs only the imperative mood’).
The heroes of this book are those that try to reach across this divide, or to challenge the assumptions of their own side.
‘Your sentiments are those of a god,’ she said quietly, but it was his manner rather than his sentiments that annoyed her.
Trying to recover his temper, he said, ‘India likes gods.’
‘And Englishmen like posing as gods.’
These attempts don't work, and the reason they don't work is that cultural or racial divides are – the book suggests – only a special case of that ‘spiritual muddledom’ that is a universal constant. Still, the worldview isn't as bleak as it might seem. That famous ‘not yet’ in the book's closing lines is a lot more hopeful than a ‘no’, and if we're prevented from coming together by our tangled and violent past, that also raises the possibility that a better future can be laid down by the present we choose to enact now, every day, with each other. ‘For what is the present, after all,’ as Walt Whitman asked, ‘but a growth out of the past?’
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instead of epic quests of the soul, there is only an eternal impasse of personal and cultural misunderstanding.Animals and birds are half-seen, unidentified; the landscape is a featureless blur; motives are illogical and rest on miscommunication. All human language, in the final analysis, amounts to nothing more than the dull ou-boum thrown back from the Malabar caves during the fateful expedition at the heart of the novel. ‘If one had spoken vileness in that place, or quoted lofty poetry, the comment would have been the same – “ou-boum”.’
Will Self once recommend as an exercise reducing a novel to a single word (he suggested in the case of The Naked Lunch, for instance, that it would be ‘insect’). For A Passage to India, that keyword would be ‘muddle’ – a term that recurs, gradually shedding its cosiness and accreting a sense of existential indistinctness, a kind of cosmic flou that renders good intentions, indeed all human endeavour, futile. ‘I like mysteries,’ says Mrs Moore, the novel's moral core, ‘but I rather dislike muddles.’ Elsewhere, Forster talks with something like dread of a ‘spiritual muddledom’ for which ‘no high-sounding words can be found’.
The plot of this book is, at times, heart-poundingly dramatic, but Forster is careful to make sure that even this is founded on doubt and indecision. In fact, what one thinks of as ‘the plot’ of A Passage to India is a storyline that arises, reaches its climax, and is resolved entirely within the second of the book's three acts. What then, you might ask, is the point of parts one and three? Well, among other things they prevent the plot from seeming too tidy – there is always something before the beginning, something after the end, to frustrate neat conclusions. ‘Adventures do occur,’ he says, ‘but not punctually.’ Life isn't tidy – it's a muddle.
British India is a perfect setting for this kind of exploration: not only does it play host to numerous individual confusions, it is itself, as it were, the political embodiment of such a confusion. One of the wonderful things about this book is that the obvious hypocrisy and conflict between the English and the Indians is not left to stand alone, as a heavy-handed message, but is echoed by similar divisions between Muslim and Hindu, man and woman, young and old, devotee and atheist. Still, it is the gulf of understanding between the British rulers and their Indian subjects that provides the most interesting material for Forster's bitter social comedy. Most of the Brits are deliciously dislikable, couching their racism in patriotic slogans, droning through the national anthem every evening at the Club, and – like one of the wives – learning only enough of the language to speak to the servants (‘so she knew none of the politer forms, and of the verbs only the imperative mood’).
The heroes of this book are those that try to reach across this divide, or to challenge the assumptions of their own side.
‘Your sentiments are those of a god,’ she said quietly, but it was his manner rather than his sentiments that annoyed her.
Trying to recover his temper, he said, ‘India likes gods.’
‘And Englishmen like posing as gods.’
These attempts don't work, and the reason they don't work is that cultural or racial divides are – the book suggests – only a special case of that ‘spiritual muddledom’ that is a universal constant. Still, the worldview isn't as bleak as it might seem. That famous ‘not yet’ in the book's closing lines is a lot more hopeful than a ‘no’, and if we're prevented from coming together by our tangled and violent past, that also raises the possibility that a better future can be laid down by the present we choose to enact now, every day, with each other. ‘For what is the present, after all,’ as Walt Whitman asked, ‘but a growth out of the past?’
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LibraryThing member GarySeverance
E. M Forster was born in England in 1879 and died in 1970. As a child, he inherited enough money from his great aunt to travel and live as a writer after attending public school and King's College, Cambridge. His interest in writing was influenced at Cambridge by membership in a discussion society
In the early 1920s, Forster worked in India as the private secretary for a Maharaja during the period of the British Raj. The Raj was a time of occupation of India by British diplomats and soldiers who imposed some controlled structure on the economic and legal system of the largely disparate states within the Eastern country loosely ruled by a monarchy. After returning to London from India, Forster published A Passage to India in 1924 based on his experiences during the period when British influence was waning and an Indian Independence movement was developing.
The novel is an interesting character study involving structure opposed to substance, self-control over impulse, conformity versus individual freedom, restriction of thought rather than tolerance, and arbitrary racial discrimination limiting open enculturation. There are several characters described in stereotypical ways with representatives of the British ruling and middle classes in the Raj and Hindu, "Moslem", and royal leaders within Indian society. These descriptions set the stage for the interaction of four main characters that illustrate the complexity of two cultures seemingly unyielding in their Western versus Eastern world views.
In the novel the reader's attention is focused on the interactions and perceptions of four main characters: Dr. Aziz, Miss Adela Quested, Cyril Fielding, and Mrs. Moor:
Dr. Aziz is an Indian physician who works at a British hospital. He is a Muslim man strongly influenced by his religion but intellectually active in his beliefs and impulsive in his emotions and actions. He is tolerant of differences in cultures within his country and the strained relationship between Indians and the British. The tolerance, however is largely on the surface, and when his religious beliefs and secular freedom are threatened by the actions of the Raj, he is quick to feel strong resentment.
Adela Quested is a young British teacher who has traveled to India to see if she and a British magistrate are compatible for marriage. Like Dr. Aziz, Adela seems outwardly open and tolerant to new experiences. She wants to learn more about the exotic Eastern culture of India. The reader sees that she is actually intolerant and frightened but fancies herself an enlightened woman willing to step beyond the conventions of her British character. Adela regresses to her British comfort zone in a panic when confronted with the mysterious and unstructured life of India.
Cyril Fielding is a teacher at a small British college for Indian citizens. Now in his early middle age, the unmarried administrator has maintained his life of personal intellectual and emotional freedom by keeping a low profile within the British foreign service system and maintaining an open attitude about British and Indian tension during the Raj. He seems to be more willing to understand the cultural differences between West and East than Adela because he has maintained a personal code of ethics largely hidden from both the British and Indian people in the rural district. He is a clever individual who has assumed a role that conforms minimally to the expectations of each culture. He is insightful and aware that his surface behavior is accepted with reservations by both groups and is content to have independence in the deep structure of his personality. Although Fielding is not an avowed homosexual, the reader gains some interesting indications from the character of Forster's private life. Unlike the author, Fielding returns to England, marries a very British woman, and returns to India a more structured man but largely conflicted in his hidden personal identification.
Mrs. Moore is an elderly British widower who has accompanied Adela during the trip from England to India. She is the mother of the British magistrate that the younger woman has come to visit. Mrs. Moore is a lifelong British subject who has reached the endpoint of caring, having lived her life for her children with a feminine stiff upper lip. In somewhat delicate health, the trip has been a major sacrifice for Mrs. Moore, but she has done her escort duty. Because of her end of life situation and active life review, she is open to the spiritual aspect of Indian life that is so different from her British structured religious beliefs. Unlike Adela, Mrs. Moore is willing to open herself to Eastern thoughts and beliefs with a substantial lowering of psychological defenses. She seeks answers to the question, what is the meaning of her life of service to her family that cost of her own freedom and dignity? Specifically, when can she stop taking responsibility for others and come to some meaningful resolution of the doubts about her life decisions? When faced with negative conclusions during her life review, she embraces a delusion of a tolerable, structured life back in her British home.
I highly recommend this novel (Forster's last published work of fiction) for readers who want to examine their own depth of understanding of life and their tolerance of the lives of others in chaotic times. An interesting experience I had reading the novel was an illusive desire to live during the early decades of the 20th Century in India to see how I would react personally to a rapidly changing world perspective. Of course, parallel, dramatic cultural challenges exist in the U. S. today, but perhaps we are too close in time to the effects of them to develop the comprehensive point of view presented in A Passage to India.
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called the Apostles that included a number of intellectuals such as John Maynard Keynes and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Forster maintained a loose association with the group during the early 1910s and 1920s as it added members and became known as the Bloomsbury Group. The Group was composed of a variety of creative individuals including writers of fiction. Virginia Woolf was an active member. After leaving Cambridge, Forster traveled with his mother extensively in Europe where he developed ideas for subsequent novels including: A Room With A View, Where Angels Fear to Tread, and Howards End. For years, he maintained a privacy regarding his homosexual identity and behavior understanding that it would limit his freedom to publish his work.In the early 1920s, Forster worked in India as the private secretary for a Maharaja during the period of the British Raj. The Raj was a time of occupation of India by British diplomats and soldiers who imposed some controlled structure on the economic and legal system of the largely disparate states within the Eastern country loosely ruled by a monarchy. After returning to London from India, Forster published A Passage to India in 1924 based on his experiences during the period when British influence was waning and an Indian Independence movement was developing.
The novel is an interesting character study involving structure opposed to substance, self-control over impulse, conformity versus individual freedom, restriction of thought rather than tolerance, and arbitrary racial discrimination limiting open enculturation. There are several characters described in stereotypical ways with representatives of the British ruling and middle classes in the Raj and Hindu, "Moslem", and royal leaders within Indian society. These descriptions set the stage for the interaction of four main characters that illustrate the complexity of two cultures seemingly unyielding in their Western versus Eastern world views.
In the novel the reader's attention is focused on the interactions and perceptions of four main characters: Dr. Aziz, Miss Adela Quested, Cyril Fielding, and Mrs. Moor:
Dr. Aziz is an Indian physician who works at a British hospital. He is a Muslim man strongly influenced by his religion but intellectually active in his beliefs and impulsive in his emotions and actions. He is tolerant of differences in cultures within his country and the strained relationship between Indians and the British. The tolerance, however is largely on the surface, and when his religious beliefs and secular freedom are threatened by the actions of the Raj, he is quick to feel strong resentment.
Adela Quested is a young British teacher who has traveled to India to see if she and a British magistrate are compatible for marriage. Like Dr. Aziz, Adela seems outwardly open and tolerant to new experiences. She wants to learn more about the exotic Eastern culture of India. The reader sees that she is actually intolerant and frightened but fancies herself an enlightened woman willing to step beyond the conventions of her British character. Adela regresses to her British comfort zone in a panic when confronted with the mysterious and unstructured life of India.
Cyril Fielding is a teacher at a small British college for Indian citizens. Now in his early middle age, the unmarried administrator has maintained his life of personal intellectual and emotional freedom by keeping a low profile within the British foreign service system and maintaining an open attitude about British and Indian tension during the Raj. He seems to be more willing to understand the cultural differences between West and East than Adela because he has maintained a personal code of ethics largely hidden from both the British and Indian people in the rural district. He is a clever individual who has assumed a role that conforms minimally to the expectations of each culture. He is insightful and aware that his surface behavior is accepted with reservations by both groups and is content to have independence in the deep structure of his personality. Although Fielding is not an avowed homosexual, the reader gains some interesting indications from the character of Forster's private life. Unlike the author, Fielding returns to England, marries a very British woman, and returns to India a more structured man but largely conflicted in his hidden personal identification.
Mrs. Moore is an elderly British widower who has accompanied Adela during the trip from England to India. She is the mother of the British magistrate that the younger woman has come to visit. Mrs. Moore is a lifelong British subject who has reached the endpoint of caring, having lived her life for her children with a feminine stiff upper lip. In somewhat delicate health, the trip has been a major sacrifice for Mrs. Moore, but she has done her escort duty. Because of her end of life situation and active life review, she is open to the spiritual aspect of Indian life that is so different from her British structured religious beliefs. Unlike Adela, Mrs. Moore is willing to open herself to Eastern thoughts and beliefs with a substantial lowering of psychological defenses. She seeks answers to the question, what is the meaning of her life of service to her family that cost of her own freedom and dignity? Specifically, when can she stop taking responsibility for others and come to some meaningful resolution of the doubts about her life decisions? When faced with negative conclusions during her life review, she embraces a delusion of a tolerable, structured life back in her British home.
I highly recommend this novel (Forster's last published work of fiction) for readers who want to examine their own depth of understanding of life and their tolerance of the lives of others in chaotic times. An interesting experience I had reading the novel was an illusive desire to live during the early decades of the 20th Century in India to see how I would react personally to a rapidly changing world perspective. Of course, parallel, dramatic cultural challenges exist in the U. S. today, but perhaps we are too close in time to the effects of them to develop the comprehensive point of view presented in A Passage to India.
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LibraryThing member dougwood57
Set in the fictional northern India city of Chandrapore, E.M. Forster's 'Passage to India', widely regarded as an early 20th century classic, tells the tale of the troubled interactions between British India and the country's Indian inhabitants. Forster's message seems to be that the white British
The story meanders, to put it kindly, until Part 2 when the 'event' occurs at the also-fictional Marabar Caves and Forster breathes some life into the tale.
If you have an interest in British colonialism, India, or English Literature or all three, by all means read the book. Don't expect a sparkling story to go along with the fine characterizations and be ready for a dated view.
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and the native Indians should not have tried to interact socially outside of the accepted forms because it always ended badly for all concerned. The story meanders, to put it kindly, until Part 2 when the 'event' occurs at the also-fictional Marabar Caves and Forster breathes some life into the tale.
If you have an interest in British colonialism, India, or English Literature or all three, by all means read the book. Don't expect a sparkling story to go along with the fine characterizations and be ready for a dated view.
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LibraryThing member li33ieg
Need I say more than it's written by EM Forster?
LibraryThing member js229
Why is this book in my all-time half dozen? One of the first books I read and understood as as an adult helps, and reading it between Forster's Cambridge (more or less) and 1980s India didn't hurt. Postcolonialists would probably be right to point out just how unreasonably ok Forster finds it to
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make almost Indians all Other. but fundamentally we are Aziz and understand Adela. Favourite quote: 'She belonged to the callow academic period of his life which he had outgrown - Grasmere, serious talks and walks, that sort of thing.' Show Less
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
A memorable study of cultural misunderstanding that becomes a wider contemplation of human suffering. It well deserves to be considered a classic.
LibraryThing member vesnaslav
A significant novel of this century. Well-crafted, gripping story. One of the rare cases, however, when the film is more enjoyable and poignant than the book.
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