Howards End

Review:WithanewIntroductionbyJamesIvoryCommentarybyVirginiaWoolf,LionelTrilling,MalcolmBradbury,andJosephEpsteinHowardsEndisaclassicEnglishnovel...superbandwhollycherishable...onethatadmirershavenotroublereadingoverandoveragain,"saidAlfredKazin.Firstpublishedin1910,HowardsEndisthenovelthatearnedE.M.Forsterrecognitionasamajorwriter.Atitsheartlietwofamilies--thewealthyandbusiness-mindedWilcoxesandtheculturedandidealisticSchlegels.WhenthebeautifulandindependentHelenSchlegelbeginsanimpetuousaffairwiththeardentPaulWilcox,aseriesofeventsissparked--someveryfunny,someverytragic--thatresultsinadisputeoverwhowillinheritHowardsEnd,theWilcoxes'charmingcountryhome.Asmuchabouttheclashbetweenindividualwillsastheclashbetweenthesexesandtheclasses,HowardsEndisanovelwhosecentraltenet,"Onlyconnect,"remainsapowerfulprescriptionformodernlife."HowardsEndisundoubtedlyForster'smasterpiece;itdevelopstotheirfullthethemesandattitudesof[his]earlybooksandthrowsbackuponthemanewandenhancinglight,"wrotethecriticLionelTrilling.E.M.Forster(1879-1970)beganwritingstorieswhileatCambridgeUniversity.HeistheauthorofWhereAngelsFeartoTread(1905),ARoomwithaView(1908),HowardsEnd(1910),andAPassagetoIndia(1924).HisnovelMaurice,aboutahomosexualloveaffair,waspublishedposthumouslyin1971.JamesIvoryisanAmericanfilmdirectorandisbestknownforthefilmshehasmadeofE.M.Forster'snovels,includingHowardsEnd,whichenjoyedimmensecriticalandpopularsuccess.HelivesinNewYorkCity.HowardsEndisanovelofideas,notbrutefacts;inmanyrespectsitisanoldkindofnovel,playfulintheeighteenth-centurysense,fulloftendernesstowardfavoritecharactersintheDickensstyle,inventiveineverystructuraltouchbutnotamodernistwork.Amazon.comMargaretSchlegel,engagedtothemucholder,widowedHenryWilcox,meetsherintendedthemorningafteracceptinghisproposalandrealizesthatheisamanwhohaslivedwithoutintrospectionortrueself-knowledge.AsshecontemplatesthestateofWilcox'ssoul,herremedyforwhatailshimhasbecomeoneofthemostoft-quotedpassagesinliterature:Onlyconnect!Thatwasthewholeofhersermon.Onlyconnecttheproseandthepassionandbothwillbeexalted,andhumanlovewillbeseenatitsheight.Liveinfragmentsnolonger.LikeallofForster'swork,HowardsEndconcernsitselfwithclass,nationality,economicstatus,andhoweachoftheseaffectspersonalrelationships.ItfollowstheintertwinedfortunesoftheSchlegelsisters,MargaretandHelen,andtheWilcoxfamilyoverthecourseofseveralyears.TheSchlegelsareintellectuals,devoteesofartandliterature.TheWilcoxes,ontheotherhand,can'tbebotheredwiththelifeofthemindortheheart,leading,instead,outerlivesof"telegramsandanger"thatfoster"suchvirtuesasneatness,decision,andobedience,virtuesofthesecondrank,nodoubt,buttheyhaveformedourcivilization."Helen,afterabriefflirtationwithoneoftheWilcoxsons,hasdevelopedanantipathyforthefamily;Margaret,however,formsabriefbutintensefriendshipwithMrs.Wilcox,whichiscutshortbytheolderwoman'sdeath.WhenherfamilydiscoversascrapofpaperrequestingthatHenrygivetheirhome,HowardsEnd,toMargaret,itprecipitatesaspiritualcrisisamongthemthatwilltakeyearstoresolve.Forster's1910novelbeginsasacollectionofseeminglyunrelatedevents--Helen'simpulsiveengagementtoPaulWilcox;achancemeetingbetweentheSchlegelsistersandanimpoverishedclerknamedLeonardBastataconcert;acasualconversationbetweenthesistersandHenryWilcoxinLondononenight.Butasitmovesalong,thesedisparatethreadsgraduallyknitintoatightlywovenfabricoftragicmisunderstandings,impulsiveactions,andirreparableconsequences,and,eventually,connection.Thoughsetintheearlyyearsofthe20thcentury,HowardsEndseemsevenmoresuitedtoourownfragmentederaofe-mailsandanger.Forreaderslivinginsuchanage,theexhortationto"onlyconnect"resonatesevermoreprofoundly.FromAudioFileAnaudiobookcannotbesatisfactoryunlessthereaderunderstandsthetextcompletely.InthecaseofacomplexandsubtleworklikeHoward'sEnd,that'snosmallorder.EdwardPetherbridgedoesunderstandandmakesallcleartothelistenerwithunaffectedauthority.Atthesametime,heachievessuchtransparencythatoneforgetsoneislisteningtoaperformanceandsimplyexperiencesthestory.Hisdeliveryisflawless.Thestorymaynotappealtoeveryone,butthereadingwon'tdisappoint.J.N.BookDimensionHeight(mm)180Width(mm)110