E. M. Forster

Biography

Born as Edward Morgan Forster on January 1, 1879, Forster came into a family of mixed perspectives.  His father, Edward Morgan Llewellyn (Eddie) Forster, worked as an architect and was a devout evangelical.  His mother, Alice Clara (Lily) Whichelo, had a far more “generous” mind, her father being an artist from Spain. This difference of belief would have a profound influence on Forster throughout his life. After his father died when Forster was still a baby, his mother, Alice, raised him with his paternal aunts. Furthermore, his father left the family a small fortune which more than doubled when Eddie’s aunt passed away, eventually falling into the hands of Lily and Forster. His education at the public school of Tonbridge would influence the critical perspective that Forster would eventually develop in his writing. Accordingly, he wrote about the school systems and his disdain for them and many other social constructs and conformities in England.

These experiences also led him to travel to the Mediterranean and India. His travels influenced his later writings of the importance of the Mediterranean civilization. Particularly in the novels Howard’s End and A Passage to India. His travels mostly took place between 1912-1913, as well as 1921. As Forster continued to experience the world, he became influenced by the World Wars, leading him to tune his writings to the exploration of peace in the world (Beer). He also came to terms with his homosexuality even though he didn’t have long-term relationships until later in life. By the 1940’s and on, Forster became a voice of liberality in England. He opposed the war and championed civil rights organizations. After suffering several small ones, Forster suffered a major stroke in 1970 that ultimately killed him.

One of Forster’s short stories, “Mr. Andrews,” seems to be influenced by Forster’s travels.  It exhibits a blend of the religions of the world and presents the idea of social class as a determiner of worthiness to enter the Gates of Heaven. A commentary on social life comes to a critical peak in “Mr. Andrews.” In the modern world, there is no unifying factor between religions, yet among Mr. Andrews and the Turk in the story, religion is set aside; instead, the men focus on the world soul in order to better each other and those left behind. His story “The Point of It” similarly explores the damning effects of civility in life and plays with Christian themes while rejecting many of its main tenants. However, amongst these stories, it is perhaps his novel, A Passage to India, that captures the epitome of these themes in his work (Medalie 2).