A Passage to India

Jan 22, 2012 Diletta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cerchiamo di mantenere la calma.

Premetto una cosa.
Quando ho preso in mano per la prima volta questo libro, io e lui ci eravamo chiariti per benino. Della serie "tu non piaci a me, io non piaccio a te, cerchiamo di concludere il nostro rapporto nel modo più indolore possibile e col minor spargimento di sangue."
Pensavo che lui avesse capito il patto, e accettato. Infatti la prima parte scorre abbastanza bene, parlava di cose di cui non me ne fregava nulla, ok, ma pace, me ne ero fatta una ragion...more

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Apr 17, 2008 Erik Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes the idea of rankings is tedious and shallow, especially when it comes to novels, but this book has to be one of the twenty greatest books written in English in the last century. In addition to being a gripping, at times harrowing, story, the overall form of the book is perfectly constructed. That E.M. knew what the hell he was doing.

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Dec 30, 2011 Chiara Pagliochini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classici-inglesi

« Abbasso gli inglesi, ad ogni modo. Questo è certo. Sgombrate, gente, e alla svelta, vi dico. Noi possiamo odiarci l'un l'altro, ma odiamo di più voi. […] Ci volessero anche centocinquantacinque anni, ci libereremo di voi, sì, butteremo a mare ogni maledetto inglese, e allora, » galoppò furiosamente contro Fielding, « e allora, » continuò, quasi baciandolo, « voi ed io saremo amici. »
« Perché non possiamo esserlo subito? » disse l'altro, stringendolo con affetto. « È quello che voglio. È quello...more « Abbasso gli inglesi, ad ogni modo. Questo è certo. Sgombrate, gente, e alla svelta, vi dico. Noi possiamo odiarci l'un l'altro, ma odiamo di più voi. […] Ci volessero anche centocinquantacinque anni, ci libereremo di voi, sì, butteremo a mare ogni maledetto inglese, e allora, » galoppò furiosamente contro Fielding, « e allora, » continuò, quasi baciandolo, « voi ed io saremo amici. »
« Perché non possiamo esserlo subito? » disse l'altro, stringendolo con affetto. « È quello che voglio. È quello che voi volete. »
Ma i cavalli non volevano: scartarono di fianco; non voleva la terra, che balzava su in massi tra cui i cavalieri dovevano parare l'uno dietro l'altro; i templi, il lago, la prigione, il palazzo, gli uccelli, le carogne, la Foresteria, che apparvero alla visi quando loro uscirono dalla gola e scorsero Mau ai loro piedi: non volevano, dissero con le loro cento voci: «No, non ancora», e il cielo disse: «No, non qui».

Non so precisamente cosa sia andato storto. So solo che tra me e Forster il rapporto non ha funzionato. Non ci capiamo. Ci guardiamo aggrottando la fronte.
Il mio professore di letteratura inglese diceva una volta a lezione che scrivere questo libro costò al suo autori anni e anni di lavoro, anni e anni di sofferenza. E questo è chiaro, questo si capisce. Se la sofferenza è la stessa che ho provato io mentre lo leggevo, tutto si spiega. La sofferenza di pensare che nell’altra stanza, in un grande armadio, ci sono tanti altri libri da leggere, tanti altri libri che trillano con le loro vocette di sirene. Leggimi prima di lui! Leggimi prima di lui! Qualche carognetta è persino riuscita a farla franca: tra l’inizio e la fine di Passaggio in India ho infilato altri tre libri.
Questo non significa che Passaggio in India sia un brutto libro. Anzi, temo sia un libro maestoso. Solo, la sua maestosità non è del tipo che interessa a me.

Siamo a Chandrapore, piccola e dispersa città indiana, dove due colonie e due scuole di pensiero si scontrano giorno dopo giorno. Da una parte ci sono i coloni inglesi, molto snob e molto inglesi. Dall’altra parte ci sono gli indiani benpensanti, gli indiani della classe media, quelli educati e con una rispettabile posizione. I due gruppi si disprezzano e non hanno rapporti l’uno con l’altro, se non quelli basati su reciproci pregiudizi. L’India è ancora la perla dell’Impero britannico; di auto-governo ancora non si parla, non c’è abbastanza autocoscienza. In questa situazione spinosa si infilano due turiste non- -per-caso, l’anziana Mrs Moore e la giovane Adela, arrivate dall’Inghilterra con tanta voglia di conoscere la “vera” India, con tanta voglia di conoscere i “veri” indiani. Il loro desiderio è sincero, seppure un po’ scolastico; l’inglese Fielding, da lungo tempo ben integrato in entrambe le comunità, e l’indiano dottor Aziz si proporranno come loro guide. Ma da quando storia è storia, provate a mettere un gruppo di persone di cultura diversa a stretto contatto e otterrete un patratac. Il patracac, secondo Forster, avviene principalmente perché le donne sono stupide e non capiscono mai quel che succede, equivocano tutto e hanno un fondo di perversità speciale. Specialmente le donne inglesi. Le donne inglesi sono tremende.
Così, se portate una donna inglese come Adela, che brutta è parecchio e intelligente non tanto, se portate una donna come Adela in una grotta buia dove i suoni echeggiano in modo diabolico, può sempre capitare che le venga un’allucinazione, vi accusi di aver tentato di violentarla e finiate sotto processo.
E qui, mentre a me sarebbe piaciuto che Forster indagasse sul perché Adela vede cose che non esistono, Forster invece se ne frega abbastanza, ci lascia credere alla sua cretineria e pensa ad altro. Ecco, a me Adela era simpatica. La repressione sessuale che la porta a formulare un’accusa totalmente priva di costrutto era lo spunto più intrigante del libro. Ma a Forster tutto sommato non interessa. A lui interessa il rapporto di amicizia e di amore tra Fielding l’inglese e Aziz l’indiano e su questo rimane a cianciare per altre 100 pagine. Se avete la sensibilità giusta per coglierlo, dev’essere davvero un rapporto fantastico. Io ormai l’omosessualità nei libri la vedo quasi dovunque e l’ho trovata altrove in forme più intriganti.
Se poi vi piace il misticismo, questo romanzo fa per voi. Cristiani, Indu, Mussulmani, ci sono tutti, tutte le teologie, per tutti i gusti, tutte le teofanie, tutti i tipi di nichilismo.
Sono dispiaciuta di comportarmi in modo così isterico con Forster, ma sinceramente sono un po’ indignata. La sua biografia entra da tutte le parti. Le sue teorie cosmogoniche non ne parliamo. Gli uomini pensano da donne. Le donne pensano da uomini. Lo sfondo sociale c’è, lo sfondo politico pure, e tutto questo dovrebbe darti un’idea per capire che razza di miscuglio fosse l’India e che miscuglio sia ancora oggi. Io non dico che non lo faccia. Lo fa, certo che lo fa. Purtroppo sono io che non sono interessata ai problemi dell’imperialismo. Mi vengono a noia.
E così sto davanti a questo ritratto assolutamente originale e profumato guardandolo con parecchio scetticismo e chiedendomi se piuttosto non è bene cominciare a leggere Pan.
Perdonate la recensione al vetriolo. La prossima volta andrà meglio.
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Aug 22, 2007 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed reading this novel again - although I’m torn about what to think of it, ideologically speaking. I like Forster - Howards End in particular - and I think his portrayal of colonial relations in India is complex and interesting, and does not necessarily come out in favor of the English. Yet his characterization of the Indians (even Dr. Aziz) is often patronizing and infantilizing, which makes it difficult to read. I re-watched the film as well - and found it interesting that David Lean th...more

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May 07, 2010 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (20

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, classics

Chandrapore, India during the British Raj in the 1920s. This is about a British young woman, Adela Quested falsely accusing an Indian doctor, Dr. Aziz of attempted rape. During the trial, Adela withdrew her lawsuit and admitted her mistake. The false accusation, the trial and the retraction further divided the nation between the white colonizers and the dark-skinned natives.

"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet"" wrote Rudyard Kipling in his 1889-first published po...more Chandrapore, India during the British Raj in the 1920s. This is about a British young woman, Adela Quested falsely accusing an Indian doctor, Dr. Aziz of attempted rape. During the trial, Adela withdrew her lawsuit and admitted her mistake. The false accusation, the trial and the retraction further divided the nation between the white colonizers and the dark-skinned natives.

"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet"" wrote Rudyard Kipling in his 1889-first published poem, "The Ballad of East and West". This 1924 novel of Edward Morgan Forster clearly illustrated this belief. England being the colonizer and India as the colonized country have two totally different cultures and beliefs. They have different religions, traditions, superstitions and obviously the most members of the fair-skinned race always thinks that they are better than their colonized country that happens to have a darker color of skin (in the novel, some English even called Indians 'niggers').

Since Indian independence from British Raj in 1947, does this 1924 novel still have significance to the young people of the world?

I was in my late 30's (2000-2004) when I traveled thrice to Mumbai, India. I toured the whole of Mumbai and its neighboring provinces. During one of my trips, I was waiting in the Singapore airport for my plane to India. There was a young female doctor who looked smart and friendly. After some introductions, I learned that she was a medical doctor and she was practicing in London. With my little knowledge of Indian history and being not too culture-sensitive yet, I said out: "Philippines has a lot of English-speaking people and it was because we were under American rule for 40 years. I think India must also feel indebted to British people for bringing good education system in India during their rule". To my surprise, she got upset and replied back: "Please do not credit the British for our educational system. Where do you think the golds of the Royal family came from? Blah blah blah"

In 1985, I saw the film adaptation of this novel that was nominated in the Best Picture category in the Oscars. It ended up winning two awards. It did not leave a big impression to me. I think I was too young (fresh from college) then and I had no idea about India's fight for independence in the 20's. Due to my trips to India, I bought the VCD copy of that movie and saw it again. The reason was that I wanted to see Mumbai on the screen again as I saw those tourist attractions featured in the film such as The Gateway to India, Taj Mahal Hotel, etc. Still, the movie did not give much impact to me.

Now that I am 45 years old, I read the book where that film was based on. The mesmerizing prose of E. M. Forster not only gave me a deeper insights on the struggle of Indians to gain their independence but it reinforced my personal belief that there is nothing to gain from a country being under the rule of any other (more powerful) country. The reason is that each country has its own culture and beliefs and those being deeply-rooted, cannot be easily shaken off by introducing another culture especially in a short period of time.

My only difficulty in reading this book is the lengthy painful-to-read narratives towards the middle trying to develop some of the minor characters. I thought that those secondary characters could be removed from the story without compromising its message. Otherwise, it is a perfect novel with well-developed characters, exotic backdrop, poetic narratives and a resounding message. The fact that E. M. Forster is British made me wonder how could a writer belonging to the oppressor race be able to write as if he was part of the oppressed race?

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Jul 12, 2011 Shovelmonkey1 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people looking for literary nytol

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list

Shelves: 1001-books, india, epic-snooze-fest, bookcrossing-books

Written in 1924 this so called literary classic and 1001 book is set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the slow move towards Independence. This book has been showered with awards - I gave my copy of a good shake just to see if any of the awards had got stuck between the pages - although personally the only award I would be inclined to hand out for E.M Forster's most famous novel would be the highly coveted shovelmonkey1 pillow award for producing an epic snooze fest.

I read this book w...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Krishna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indian-fiction-literary

It is one of the finest works of fiction ever written. That too by a British colonial about India, a colony. I am in the middle of book, where the plot thickens after Dr. Aziz is arrested for molesting a British woman he was guiding to visit some ancient caves.
The hypocrisy of the Indians and the British, whenever they interact, is not hidden from the eyes of Forester. And he finds characters who become conduits to spray it in the novel. The distrust is mutual among them.
The need for the Colon...more It is one of the finest works of fiction ever written. That too by a British colonial about India, a colony. I am in the middle of book, where the plot thickens after Dr. Aziz is arrested for molesting a British woman he was guiding to visit some ancient caves.
The hypocrisy of the Indians and the British, whenever they interact, is not hidden from the eyes of Forester. And he finds characters who become conduits to spray it in the novel. The distrust is mutual among them.
The need for the Colonials to appear in control is because of the deep fear of uprising and rebellion against them, heightened after the sepoy mutiny of 1857, more than sixty years before this novel was written, breaking out among the subjects. The Indians loathe them as much as they do the indians. And there is the wide spread mistrust between the Hindus and muslems.
I am not sure when or if I will finish reading this book, as nowadays I can hardly read beyound a dozen pages of a book I really like. This review is for Richard, who wants it from me.
This book is in line with the tradition of a great novelist, who can see clearly to have written a book like 'Where angels fear to tread' before this book about India. Unlike Rudyrard kipling, Forester has a capacity to say unambiguously what he feels and you do not have a feeling draining your energy, so vital to carry on with a book, though with gaps in time: if you are being fooled by a writer, while you read Forester.

Even being a colonial he has dealt with his Indian characters at a human level, showing a deeper understanding of them even as compared to some contemporary Indian authors, who dismiss their own people more readily than the colonials ever did. At the same time he illuminates the dual psychology of the people, who mostly are the British underclass of the early twentieth century, for the very reason that they have to live in a country which has nothing similar to their own, while
bearing the burden of putting up a stoic face of colonials. With their xenophobia intact, it is a tough job to give the natives an impression that the colonials are serving their best interests. And the anxiety of the closing in freedom movement of India too is not hidden from the author, which complies the accuser British woman to testify against the Indian she accused of molesting her, in the full glare of the court, and answering the probing Indian lawyer defending the accused, something unthinkable in the past. In her heart she knew that she was not harmed in anyway by Dr. Aziz.

Forester's book will survive and will be fondly read even after another hundred years. May be, if and when I finish, this book, I may add or delete something, but as usual, I will return to this book often, looking for some inspiration.
I have no ambitions to be noticed for my reviews though, Richard. For I think my writing is more important.

23 October 2012.
Finished the book finally. It continued with its knwon pace which is slow but suitable to describe the Indian characters of the time and British colonials among them. The ending was a little unconvincing, as the main male protagonists end up kissing each other, while mouthing their unrestrained opinions about each other, since it was their last meeting and they were aware of it.
The Englishman thought that he didn't understand the Hindus well enough, the Moslem thought that his tribe will come from Afghanistan, down to rule India again. But whatever happens the English will remain the friends of India, Aziz thinks. Fielding wonders why the English can't be friends of Indians now, warning dr. Aziz that without English ruling them the India will come apart, indicating that he has started practicing charms instead of medicine.
It turned the ending a little disappointing. But it could be credited that the author sensed that another war in Europe will make things impossible to hold the Colony in India for British. Dr. Aziz at least thought so and is waiting to '...drive every blasted Englishman into the sea...'
It could not have become a propogandist writing of the colonials even when this book was published, in 1924, as mentioned at the end of it, as other literature became, like that of Kipling. For it clealy saw that Indians were waiting for their Indepencence eagaerly and they want no more to understand the English.
What this book couldn't see was how messy Independence will become and how the British institutions would continue to influence the free nations created in their India, through a carefully cultivated native ruling class, which will plunder their country more ruthlessly than the colonials, to migrate their progeny to the West finally. It also had no idea of the rise of German power in Europe and the developments in China. So the failure was double, as it may look by the end of the book. Forster was honest in what he wrote about.

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Richard This is a novel which I enjoyed very much. I am curious to see how you will rate this and how you may review it.
Jul 14, 2012 06:14pm

Krishna It is one of the finest work of fiction ever written. That too by a British colonial about India, a colony. I am in the middle of book, where the plot...more It is one of the finest work of fiction ever written. That too by a British colonial about India, a colony. I am in the middle of book, where the plot thickens after Dr. Aziz is arrested for molesting a British woman he was guiding to visit some ancient caves.
The hypocrisy of the Indians and the British, whenever they interact, is not hidden from the eyes of Forester. And he finds characters who become conduits to spray it in the novel. The distrust is mutual among them.
The need for the Colonials to appear in control is because of the deep fear of uprising and rebellion against them, heightened after the sepoy mutiny of 1857, more than sixty years before this novel was written, breaking out among the subjects. The Indians loathe them as much as they do the indians. And there is the wide spread mistrust between the Hindus and muslems.
I am not sure when or if I will finish reading this book, as nowadays I can hardly read beyound a dozen pages of a book I really like. This review is for Richard, who wants it from me.
This book is in line with the tradition of a great novelist, who can see clearly to have written a book like 'Where angels fear to tread' before this book about India. Unlike Rudyrard kipling, Forester has a capacity to say unambiguously what he feels and you do not have a feeling draining of your energy, so vital to carry on with a book, though with gaps in time: if you are being fooled by a writer, while you read Forester.

Even being a colonial he has dealt with his Indian characters at a human level, showing a deeper understanding of them even as compared to some contemporary Indian authors, who dismiss their own people more readily than the colonials ever did. At the same time he illuminates the dual psychology of the people, who mostly are the British underclass of the early twentieth century, for the very reason that they have to live in a country which has nothing similar to their own, while
bearing the burden of putting up a stoic face of colonials. With their xenophobia intact, it is a tough job to give the natives an impression that the colonials are serving their best interests. And the anxiety of the closing in freedom movement of India too is not hidden from the author, which complies the accuser British woman to testify against the Indian she accused of molesting her, in the full glare of the court, and answering the probing Indian lawyer defending the accused, something unthinkable in the past. In her heart she knew that she was not harmed in anyway by Dr. aziz.

Forester's book will survive and will be fondly read even after another hundred years. May be, if and when I finish, this book, I may add or delete something, but as usual, I will return to this book often, looking for some inspiration.
I have no ambitions to be noticed for my reviews though, Richard. For I think my writing is more important.(less)
Jul 15, 2012 03:12am

Apr 29, 2008 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I completely related with one of the main characters in the book, Miss Questad. She accuses an Indian man of assaulting her while they are hiking in some caves (sorry if I just gave part of it away) and realizes later that she made a mistake. Her mistake brings out the worst of racial tensions and class distinctions. It reminded me SO much of my experience in Jordan a few summers ago when a Jordanian man at one of the tourist attractions was not very "gentlemanly". The laws in Jordan are a lot m...more

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Nov 01, 2007 Teddy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Classic of Epic Proportions!

First published in 1924, over the vast sweeping landscape of India under British rule A Passage to India examines the cultural differences between the Indians and the English.

As the novel opens Ms. Adela Quested and her potential mother in-law, Mrs. Moore arrives in Chandrapore India. They both have the desire to see the real India and not just hang out with other British citizens. Mrs. Moore becomes friends with a local, Dr Aziz who promises to show her and Ms. Que...more

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Jun 28, 2008 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Honestly, I can't believe I had never read this book before. I should thank Ginger and Katherine for wanting to read it together because I don't know when or if I would have ever gotten around to reading it. Forster is so magnificent. Next I should read his "Where Angels Fear to Tread."

How I managed to read my fair share of post-colonial lit (Gautam, it's fair to call this post-colonial lit, right?) and not read this is appalling. It is not only a beautifully written book, but is still a rather...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

In some ways it's hard to believe that this was published in 1924, given the prescience Forster demonstrates in relation to the future of the British Raj. Towards the end of the novel, one of the central characters, Dr Aziz, effectively predicts that Indians will throw out the British when England is is involved in another war in Europe and articulates - albeit not in so many words - the need for Indians to identify as Indians rather than as members of their individual religious communities in o...more
In some ways it's hard to believe that this was published in 1924, given the prescience Forster demonstrates in relation to the future of the British Raj. Towards the end of the novel, one of the central characters, Dr Aziz, effectively predicts that Indians will throw out the British when England is is involved in another war in Europe and articulates - albeit not in so many words - the need for Indians to identify as Indians rather than as members of their individual religious communities in order for that happen.

This is a story of the distrust and misunderstanding inherent in the relationship between colonisers and the colonised and poses the question of whether cultural differences can be overcome to find real friendship and understanding. It centres on the consequences of an incident in which a young English woman, Adela Quested, accuses the Indian Dr Aziz of assaulting her during an excursion to the Marabar Caves.

Forster's portrayal of the British colonial rulers is trenchantly critical. He exposes their hypocrisy, their fundamental fear of Indians and their desperation to retain control. While Forster's portrayal of Indian characters is largely - although not completely - sympathetic, he was a still a man of his time and there are some aspects of his portrayal of Indian characters which a contemporary reader is likely to find patronising.

Forster evokes a sense of time and place in beautiful prose and he provides plenty of food for thought. That said, there were times when the narrative seemed to meander and I wasn't always sure where Forster was going with it. This is one of those books I'm glad I listened to rather than read, because it allowed me to complete productive tasks while listening to those few parts of the novel which I might otherwise have skimmed. I knew that Sam Dastor's voices for both the English and the Indian characters would be excellent, having listened to his narration of Kipling's Kim. However, the downside of listening to Dastor is that he does not do female voices well. This wasn't an issue with Kim, because it contains no female characters to speak of, but Miss Quested is a central character in this novel and Dastor's voice for her is simply awful. I enjoyed listening much more when Miss Quested wasn't around.

The only other of Forster's novels I've read is A Room with a View, which I love. This one I like a little less. But I'm very glad that I finally tackled it and I don't know why it took me so long to do so.

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Mar 10, 2013 Komal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-most-beloved-books

When I first picked up this book I was expecting to be insulted by some fat white guys going on about how barbaric my culture and history were and how the magnanimous British civilized us all. I was, thankfully, wrong.

It follows Mr Fielding, Miss Adela, and Mrs Moor as they come to tour India. They are shown about by Dr Aziz, a poor Muslim, and Adela's fiance Mr Moor. The basic storyline is one of Adela and Mrs Moor touring India, but then Adela eventually convicts Dr Aziz of sexual harassment w...more

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Apr 21, 2009 Becca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A classic story about learning to understand our fellow man and the social barriers that obstruct that understanding. Almost a century after “A Passage to India” was published, the book remains as timely as ever. Our country is currently at war and while it has been described as a War on Terror, it is more correctly characterized as a War of Ideas. Today there is a fundamental lack of appreciation for how the other half lives. This book addresses a similar conflict – illustrating how even open-m...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review and others are from my blog: http://deadwhiteguyslit.blogspot.com

HEY, hey guys! Did you know it's HOT in India? Because E.M. Forster would like you to know that it's really hot there. Surface of the sun hot. Old-people killin' hot. And dusty. Doesn't that sound like a place you'd like to read about for 300 pages in August? No? TOO BAD!

This is supposed to be as fantastic as Forster's Howard's End, but straight up- that's a lie. A Passage to India is about a handful of priggish British...more

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Aug 14, 2008 David Redden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to David by: Jill McKiernan

I thoroughly enjoyed A Passage to India and am now officially a Forster fan. Frankly, I'm not certain how I made it this far through my education without ever picking him up. I can't add much to what's already been written about this book, but I'll mention a few impressions anyway.

Forster tells a great story with enviable economy and style. Like a work of impressionist art, A Passage to India is superficially enjoyable, but the real treasure is found in what's not there. Rich, beautiful detail l...more I thoroughly enjoyed A Passage to India and am now officially a Forster fan. Frankly, I'm not certain how I made it this far through my education without ever picking him up. I can't add much to what's already been written about this book, but I'll mention a few impressions anyway.

Forster tells a great story with enviable economy and style. Like a work of impressionist art, A Passage to India is superficially enjoyable, but the real treasure is found in what's not there. Rich, beautiful detail lies in the haze and empty spaces, at least for those thoughtful enough to search.

Forster was surprisingly, though by no means perfectly, evenhanded in his indirect commentary on a few of the personal and social costs of British colonialism in India. Sure, he was a bit on the fantastical, exotic side when it comes to his portrayal of all things Indian, but he was an Englishman looking at the situation through English eyes. His imperfect evenhandedness might be owing to his closet homosexuality. Forster understood what it meant to be a member of an out-group, just not the particular out-group of which he was writing.

If there is offense to be had, it is probably in the way he describes his character's petty social calculus, which tends to make them look like silly people doing silly things for silly reasons. These descriptions, however, are not far from reality; it's just not a reality we like to notice or admit. Upon reflection we can often provide plausible (if not entirely accurate) reasons for our conduct that fit within a rational-moral narrative of ourselves and our culture. Still, rarely if ever do we know precisely why we do things or admit to ourselves all of our reasoning. Sensual stimulation and random messages from parts of the body cause synapses to fire up multi-sensual interpretations and reactions based on complex instinctual formulas coupled with culturally instilled default rules.

We know even less why other people do what they do, but we still try by viewing their conduct through our own rational-moral narrative. “Why would I have done that?” we ask ourselves, often without even realizing it. It’s the subtext of social and political life, and it’s what Forster tries to subtract from his text, presumably to achieve evenhandedness. He wants us to see his characters’ interpersonal relations from the thousand-foot view, “as of dwarfs shaking hands. . . .” It’s like providing simplistic, semi-anthropomorphic reasoning for an elephant’s behavior, or noting that we, just as many other primates, bear our teeth, stand taller and puff out our chest to show that we’re angry. The thousand-foot view of human behavior is the most neutral and sometimes the most intellectually stimulating view, but it is also often the least flattering and least intuitive.

But don’t let all my amateur jibber-jabber stop you from reading this book. It deserves its status as a classic, and so will always be more interesting and enlightening than anything I can say about it.(less)

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Jun 18, 2008 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Contrary to what you might expect "Passage" is not a travel guide to India. Most of the book, in fact, takes place in the sleepy little village of Chandrapore. Or at least, it's sleepy for half the book. Then it becomes a hotbed of controversy and a public trial of the British occupation of India. Yeah, didn't see that one coming, did you?

More than travel, more than romance or anything like that, "Passage" is a hypothesis: can a British man and an Indian man possibly become (and remain) friends...more

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May 15, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, english-lit

Hailed at its publication as Forster’s masterpiece, A Passage to India explores the complex relationship between Indians and the colonial English, a relationship muddled by racism, cultural misunderstandings, and inherent religious and philosophical incompatibility. The essential question of the novel is whether it is possible for friendship to bridge the racial divide between the English and the Indians. The tragic events of the novel suggest not, or at least not yet, though Forster does offer...more

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Jun 12, 2008 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: a few

This is my first E.M. Forster book, and definitely will not be my last. His style seems to be a bridge between late Victorian and early modernist, and it is obvious that he is not quite sure which way to go. It is beautifully written, perhaps a little too beautifully written. The characters are fully formed, yet somehow leave you unaffected by the tight reign the author has on their every thought. Forster's take on the complexity of the racial situation in colonialist India is as fair-minded as...more

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Oct 04, 2007 Lunar Star rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I've read this novel, I've recalled the situation of the multicultural societies. How (difference) is still unsolved problem among people. The British Imperialism was dified by Indians regardless their various sects. This reminds me of most of the Iraqis' attitude toward the invasion of the USMF and USAF. The 'Club' group are described as prejudice whereas the 'Indian' are of a second class!! Such superiority is the reason of many Indians' hostility which reveals by the end of the novel: wh...more

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Jun 21, 2007 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"I can't avoid the label. What I do hope to avoid is the mentality."

The idea of language (and naming) as the ultimate destroyer of the individual intrigues me. That we lose all sense of self the moment we are given a name by our parents. That something as simple as a label can break us down and keep us there. In the end words mean nothing, they are empty and meaningless until we give them an importance they do not deserve. I love and hate the idea that we are nothing but what people see us as, w...more

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Jul 10, 2007 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those interested in the interaction of cultures.

For the first section of the novel, I was thoroughly bored, but I persevered because I knew there had to be a reason it was a "classic"; also, the relationship between East and West has always intrigued me, partly because I embody it.

The second section of the novel, "Caves," is the heart of the novel. The landscape is the main character, more vibrant than the shadowy people that pass through it. The caves distort and intensify; once inside, the characters' realities are changed forever. Actually...more

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Feb 28, 2007 Matthew Klobucher rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a complicated and sad story. It offered a dispassionate look at relationships that was sometimes quite wrenching. I found a degree of satire in Forrester's prose; or else a sort of veiled contempt at Britain's institutionalized colonialism and hereditary victorianism - and plenty of evidence in the novel that both were dehumanizing. The melancholy that pervades the book seems to stem from the fact that the wealthy, powerful European character seemed so inept at finding happiness. Though...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads

Prompted to finally read this by Cynthia Ozick's reminder that A Passage to India is one of the greatest works of English fiction of the twentieth century. I read it as a remarkable reflection of its time: the interwar period and prior to Indian independence and the violent Partition. Also considered feminist critiques of Islam (religion or culture as responsible for female oppression?) and orientalism (Edward Said's thesis), and post-colonialism (Bhabha, I think?). The symbolic imagery felt som...more

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Aug 27, 2008 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I'm not wildly enthusiastic about this book. It gives you an interesting view of India as a British colony, and some of the descriptions are lovely, but overall I found it quite dry and hard to read in anything but little chunks. The story itself isn't wildly inventive, of course: it reminded me a lot, at least around the middle, of To Kill A Mockingbird: a native is wrongly accused of assaulting a woman, the woman's part is taken by all, etc. It's not a new story -- of course not, since it coul...more

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Mar 10, 2008 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book shifts underfoot a lot, clumps of prose I couldn't penetrate and then a paragraph of such exquisite insight that I was torn between getting up and finding a pen or staying where I was and re-reading it seven or eight times. In a way, it's prose verite: things are hectic, or boring and you're not sure who is talking or what the words mean, but then sometimes you hit a pocket where something makes so much sense that it seems like everything else must make sense too and then the moment is...more

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Dec 01, 2011 C.mcdonald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This would be a phenomenal companion read with The White Tiger as its post-colonial counterpart. I loved this book's departure from the almost caricature roles for the white colonialist (g&ts at the club! Sahib! the white man's burden!) as well as the 2D-roles of the subservient if colorful locals. It's got fault lines between the whites, the ignorance and condescension of those few curious enough who want to "know India," the religious and caste divides among the Indians, the purdah, the de...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Karen Powell added it · review of another edition

The novel is an engrossing look into England's deteriorating hold on its colony of India. We are introduced to the Anglo-Indians, represented by characters like Heaslop and the Turtons who openly detest the Indian race, to the point of being cruel and grotesque. They need little prompting to believe an Indian is up to no good. Meanwhile, Indians are presented as a race held back by the culture clash, with strong, impulsive emotions and a lack of understanding for the English's reverence for prom...more The novel is an engrossing look into England's deteriorating hold on its colony of India. We are introduced to the Anglo-Indians, represented by characters like Heaslop and the Turtons who openly detest the Indian race, to the point of being cruel and grotesque. They need little prompting to believe an Indian is up to no good. Meanwhile, Indians are presented as a race held back by the culture clash, with strong, impulsive emotions and a lack of understanding for the English's reverence for promptness and social invitations. The whole situation sets up a powder keg that is ignited by the visit of Heaslop's mother Mrs. Moore, and Heaslop's prospective bride Miss Quested. Caught up in the fray is Dr. Aziz, a respectable widower who works under the English, but is not welcome into their social club due to being Indian. [return]Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested's desire to "see India" ultimately backfires, as they cannot handle the culture clash. While Miss Quested convinces herself that she was raped by Dr. Aziz, who was kind enough to take the ladies on a journey to the local caves upon their request, Mrs. Moore is turned into a local goddess by the superstitious locals. The deification of Mrs. Moore is interesting, as the woman herself had no intention to publicly defend Aziz; she instead chose to flee the country. But a running theme is how the Indians choose to believe gossip over truth, (a fault even acted upon by Aziz, who convinces himself that his faithful Englishman friend abandoned him to marry Miss Quested.) The English suffer from this fault, also, as they whip themselves into a frenzy over the belief that every Indian lusts for white women, and other stereotypes. Indeed this self-absorption and inability of the cultures to blend harmoniously ultimately drives home the final scene of Fielding and Aziz's reunion. Both are disillusioned years after the trial and concede that only when the English leave India, can the races ever be friends.[return]Miss Quested is a curious character, who while she never means to do any harm, ultimately destroys lives with her accusation of rape. It appears that she was overwhelmed by the caves, and hallucinated the terrifying event. Does she get due punishment? Although her bravery is lauded by few, first Fielding, then, years later, Aziz, it it notable that no other Anglo-Indian would have confessed to making such a mistake. The English relished the chance to punish Indians, and considered Quested a traitor for not continuing with the trial. Throughout the novel, Miss Quested tries to be sympathetic towards Indians, but she cannot escape her underlying repulsion of them. Forster seems to suggest that this is caused by the domination of her race over theirs. She is in a psychological muddle: While she recognizes that the treatment of Indians by the English is horrible, she knows that she has that feeling within herself, and confides to Aziz as much. Her biggest fault is probably being too honest, and speaking wihtout thinking, like when she innocently asks Aziz how many wives he has. The same impulse compels her to run into a cactus patch from the caves after her scare, rather than compose herself and try to summon some sense of the situation.[return]Fielding seems to be the noblest character, sacrificing his reputation among his fellow Englishman for what he believes is right, defending Aziz. At times it seems that Aziz doesn't quite grasp the full impact of Fielding's support, such as when Aziz accuses his friend of abandonment after the arrest, when Fielding was forbidden to accompany the prisoner to the police station. Aziz routinely brings the abandonment up in times of doubt in Fielding's faithfulness. Eventually, the Indians turn against him, too. After the trial, Fielding's reluctant support of Miss Quested (who has been abandoned by her peers) is interpreted and gossiped as a love affair. This breakdown of the relationship between Fielding and Aziz further illustrates the novel's point that India and England cannot be friends while one colonizes the other.[return]Aziz is a tragic hero, who only wants to do right by his family name and children. It is not until he is burned by his attempts at friendship with some English that be becomes bitter and identifies with the struggles of the Indian people. Before, he only associated himself with Muslims. He did not conceive of a unified India, a nation also containing Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, etc., with different views and customs. It is not until the trial in Chandapoore does having a common enemy, the English, make possible the realization that India needs to be united and independant. It is interesting that even though his friendship for Fielding fractures, his adoration of the Englishwoman Mrs. Moore remains constant. This is perhaps the hope inherrent in the novel, that true friendship is possible between the races, so long as the friends are equals, as Aziz believed how he and Mrs. Moore saw themselves.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Gale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-classics

ECHOES OF THE RAJ

E.M. Forster's 320-page novel probes the intimate workings of the human heart and mind, especially when brought into the stark, Victorian contrast of cross-cultural prejudice. Set in India during the Raj (British imperialism at its height and worst), the story reveals how Anglos strive to maintain a proper distance from the natives they felt destined to rule. The frustrated Indians--themselves fragmented by religion and caste--struggle in various ways to be accepted as fully-ac...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Alison Newell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This deeply complex, densely packed, microcosmic epic of a novel is elusive and profound and in the end perhaps self-defeating. How can Forster encapsulate what he admits is indescribable? How will the reader ever understand what he says is ungraspable by the human mind?
The story of a Passage to India is the least of its substance and is quickly told. Adela Quested arrives in India along with her prospective mother-in law Mrs Moore, to see whether a brief and lack-lustre attraction she and Mrs M...more This deeply complex, densely packed, microcosmic epic of a novel is elusive and profound and in the end perhaps self-defeating. How can Forster encapsulate what he admits is indescribable? How will the reader ever understand what he says is ungraspable by the human mind?
The story of a Passage to India is the least of its substance and is quickly told. Adela Quested arrives in India along with her prospective mother-in law Mrs Moore, to see whether a brief and lack-lustre attraction she and Mrs Moore’s son Ronny felt in Grasmere might translate to marriage to him in Chandrapore, where he is the City Magistrate. But the insufferable Anglo-Indians, whose community she would have to join, the kind but unreliable Indians with whom she will never be able to strike up a meaningful relationship and India itself combine to render the prospect untenable, even if she loved Ronny. Then a mysterious experience in a cave unhinges Miss Quested, and her passage to India is at an end.
It is more interesting to consider the aspects of the novel which both add to its complexity and provide its substance. As her name suggests, Adela is on a quest, to see ‘the real India’, to understand it. It is a cerebral pursuit; only a matter, she thinks, of going there and looking about. The impossibility of such a task is the main thrust of Forster’s novel. India is too vast, too varied, too old; a melting pot of culture and religions, a hugely diverse geography of mountains and plains and forested hillsides, a seething mass of multitudes. India cannot be ‘seen’ by the human eye nor, it is powerfully suggested, understood by the human mind.
Yet, while emphasising its immensity, the writer also manages to convey its minuteness. Scenes are repeatedly placed within a larger context, a man on the neatly-tended veranda of the club, the club against the sprawling city, the city against the backdrop of mountains, the mountains against the ‘overarching’ sky, the sky itself against the incalculable firmament. This dichotomy results in ‘muddle’ and ‘mystery’; India is an enigma.
The diversity of Indian society adds to its complexity. The intricate differences between Indians of different castes and beliefs create a minefield, as well as the delicate mores which must be observed if social relationships between Indians and the British are to be pursued. The unfathomable Indian compulsion to tell a polite and sincere lie rather than an unpalatable truth muddies conversational waters at every turn. Add to this the ridiculous British impulse to force India into a neatly labelled box, to behave as though still in Blighty. But the gaggling chaos of the bazaar, the ramshackle, fly-blown bungalows of the populace, even the well-to-do residences of rich Indians, where guests are frequently tardy and dinner is always late, will never be regulated into the regimented rows of bungalows of the Civil Station. India is ungraspable, a live thing, many-hued, exotic and infuriating by turn.
The failure of the British in India to appreciate these facts results in incidents which are, on one level, high comedy, on others, deeply shameful. The officious Surgeon General, the pompous Collector, the whole entourage of petty officials and their bigoted wives congregate at the Club (where no Indian is permitted unless he carries a tray of drinks) to decry India and Indians; they chafe and pontificate within their ludicrously inappropriate evening dress as India shifts and changes and defies categorisation.
Amid this atmosphere of vastness and littleness and difference, the characters are constantly engaged in attempts to make connections. In a series of set-pieces, like formal dances, Forster tries to make meaningful links; between British and Indian, Hindu and Muslim, man and woman, man and man, but no two souls are a neat enough fit and even birds of a feather fall out in the end. No one has a wide enough vision or a big enough heart, or, if they have it one moment, it has changed into something else the next. Mrs Moore and the hapless Dr Aziz manage a fleeting spiritual accord, and the strength of it arms Aziz for the ordeal to come, but then India’s immeasurable depth swallows Mrs Moore’s faith, and she slips from Aziz’ grasp.
It would be easy to despair, in this mutable and somewhat nihilistic universe, where ‘everything exists but nothing has value’ and where communication, Man’s most precious resource, is reduced at last to an empty, meaningless echo. But Forster’s mantra throughout the novel is a double helix of hope. As the tiny earth spins into the infinite universe, as the enormity of our own personal India engulfs us, as friends disappoint and love ones leave, ‘goodwill, goodwill and more goodwill’ and ‘kindness, kindness and more kindness’ is both our bond and our blessing.
(less)

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Jan 13, 2013 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-with-rob

This was a heavy book. The fact that a simple search for the title on goodreads results in several reader's guides and commentaries will back up this fact. The biggest thing I got out of this book is a shock at how horrible and instinctual racism was (or sadly is in some cases). This was a fascinating look into the minds of several people who interacted in colonial India. One thing that had me wondering is the fact that Forester wrote about the inner workings of several native Indians' heads. He...more This was a heavy book. The fact that a simple search for the title on goodreads results in several reader's guides and commentaries will back up this fact. The biggest thing I got out of this book is a shock at how horrible and instinctual racism was (or sadly is in some cases). This was a fascinating look into the minds of several people who interacted in colonial India. One thing that had me wondering is the fact that Forester wrote about the inner workings of several native Indians' heads. He gave them motives and several times would use some broad generalizations about them. When he made these kind of statements I couldn't help but wonder what the real story was. I think he did an excellent job defending the Indian people (both Muslim and Hindu) and he exposed the stupidity and narrow mindedness that thrived among the Anglo-Indians. Despite that, he was English. How could an Englishman, no matter how open minded and understanding, truly be able to give an accurate account of what an Indian felt about his life, religion, country, etc. There were too many times that I questioned the narrator.

The plot in Passage to India seems like a supporting player. The main players are India and all the different characters. What the characters did never seemed to matter as much as what they felt, or thought. Despite that there was a moment a little over half way through that inspired us to keep reading more quickly, simply to figure out what the conclusion would be. The language is very descriptive and it takes concentration to follow sometimes. It is by no means an easy or fun read. It is on a list of recommended reading that my husband is slowly reading through. The goal of reading for the sake of education/enrichment is what got us through. This is not a book I would have tried simply for the sake of something to read.

This book was worth the work of the read. It opened up my historical understanding of India and it's complicated colonial past. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a brain stretching book. (less)

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