The paper ‘Where to live – The Houses in Howards End’ shows in which way E. M. Forster associates certain housing conditions with special types of character, in how far he thinks that housing conditions influence the way people are and behave and what conclusion he draws as to where to live.
Basically, there are three different types of houses portrayed in the novel: the dwelling place of the urban lower middle class, London town houses, and country houses. It can be argued that there are differences between these types of houses and also that the narrator differs the houses’ quality among themselves. Taking the city – country dichotomy as a starting point, the paper discusses the standpoint Forster takes towards the quality of these houses when he shows that they are ‘alive’ or not (whether they possess life, spirit or souls).It is explained in which way the economic status of the main characters of the novel (the Schlegels, the Wilcoxes and the Basts) is reflected in their respective housing-conditions and what position Forster takes towards housing at the beginning of the twentieth century in general.
The paper also relates to some of the current views and popular concepts of Forster’s time on the different housing conditions of people. Taking a look at some general statements about living in the city versus living in the country and living in flats versus living in houses, it is explained what the narrator’s preferences are as to where one should live. The paper discusses in how far this attitude is reflected in the narrator’s decision about the ideal place to live for his heroine Margaret Schlegel and in how far this solution is a realistic one.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Living in the city
2.1. The urban slum
2.2. The London town houses
2.2.1. Wickham Mansions
2.2.2. Ducie Street
2.2.3. Wickham Place
3. Living in the country
3.1. The country houses
3.1.1. Oniton
3.1.2. Howards End
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how E.M. Forster correlates architectural housing conditions with the characters' moral and social identities in his novel Howards End, ultimately exploring the tension between urban decay and the longing for a stable, rooted, and humane environment.
- The influence of housing conditions on character behavior and development.
- Contrast between the "flux" and artificiality of London life and the "rootedness" of the English country.
- Social stratification as reflected in urban slums, town houses, and country estates.
- The symbolic role of the house as a living entity possessing spirit or soul.
- The search for a realistic, stable "ideal home" for the protagonist, Margaret Schlegel.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.2. Howards End
Howards End lies in Hertfordshire near the village of Hilton, a place which as we learn is “one of the large villages that are strung so frequently along the North Road, and that owe their size to the traffic of coaching and pre-coaching days. Being near London, it had not shared in the rural decay, and its long High Street had budded out right and left into residential estates” (p. 10). It is a village on the fringe of suburban London already threatened by it. Following the road out of Hilton to the Howards End estate one enters into an “unspoilt country of fields and farms” (p. 68). When Margaret walks to the house for the first time, she already likes what she sees: “[The road’s] little hesitations pleased her. Having no urgent destiny, it strolled downhill or up as it wished, taking no trouble about gradients, nor about the view, which nevertheless expanded. […] the appearance of the land was neither aristocratic nor suburban. [I]t was not snobbish.” (p. 211) The country reveals an older life,
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the connection between architecture, manners, and morals in E.M. Forster’s work, establishing the focus on how housing dictates character and destiny.
2. Living in the city: This chapter analyzes how London is portrayed as a "Moloch" defined by monotony, unhealthy labor, and the rapid, destructive "flux" of modern urban existence.
2.1. The urban slum: The author discusses how the Basts’ substandard living conditions in flats symbolize dehumanization and the loss of individual spirit under competitive capitalism.
2.2. The London town houses: This section investigates middle- and upper-class city dwellings, arguing that they act as facades and remain vulnerable to the same urban instability as slums.
2.2.1. Wickham Mansions: An analysis of the Wilcoxes' temporary apartment, illustrating its hotel-like atmosphere and lack of domestic or historical depth.
2.2.2. Ducie Street: A study of the Wilcoxes' town house, highlighting the interplay between representational status and the decay of the neighborhood due to urban flux.
2.2.3. Wickham Place: This chapter examines the Schlegels’ home, noting its unique stability, historical "rootedness," and role as an "island of money" protected from the chaos of London.
3. Living in the country: The chapter posits that country life serves as a necessary, wholesome retreat, characterized by a natural, "rooted" existence and personal intercourse.
3.1. The country houses: An overview of how country homes are evaluated by Forster not just as property, but as potential sites for genuine human connection and generational stability.
3.1.1. Oniton: A critique of the house at Oniton as an aristocratic, snobbish facade that fails to provide the true home the characters seek.
3.1.2. Howards End: An in-depth look at the title estate as the ideal, sincere English home that transcends artificiality and preserves a connection to nature.
4. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes that Forster’s vision of Howards End represents a nostalgic, yet critical articulation of the need for stability in an increasingly industrial and fragmented society.
Keywords
Howards End, E.M. Forster, Architectural Symbolism, Urban Flux, Domesticity, English Countryside, Social Class, Moloch, Rootedness, Modernity, Victorian Nostalgia, Housing Conditions, Character Development, Liberalism, Suburbia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the relationship between E.M. Forster's portrayal of various housing types in Howards End and the characters' moral and social identities.
Which thematic fields does the analysis explore?
It explores themes of urban decay, the contrast between city and country life, social stratification, the impact of capitalism on domestic spaces, and the concept of a "rooted" home.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary goal is to determine how Forster associates housing conditions with different character types and to identify his stance on the ideal environment for a meaningful life.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The study utilizes a literary analysis approach, drawing upon contemporary sociological concepts from the early twentieth century to interpret the spatial symbolism within the novel.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines three housing categories: urban slums, London town houses (Wickham Mansions, Ducie Street, Wickham Place), and country houses (Oniton, Howards End).
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include urban flux, domesticity, rootedness, architectural symbolism, and social class.
How does the author characterize the city of London in the novel?
London is described as a "Moloch"—a depressing, grey, and dirty environment that dehumanizes its inhabitants through rapid change and soul-destroying "flux."
What distinguishes Howards End from the other houses discussed?
Unlike the facades of city flats or the snobbish, artificial Oniton estate, Howards End is portrayed as a sincere, "alive," and stable home rooted in the English earth.
Why is the "flux" of London considered such a negative force by the author?
It is viewed negatively because it destroys history, disrupts stability, and creates a sense of temporality that prevents the formation of genuine human connections.
- Quote paper
- Claudia Müller (Author), 2004, Where to live? - The Houses in "Howards End", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/39504
