Howards End and Mr B
The BBC adaptation of Howards End - what do you think of it so far? My reaction, with one episode left to go, is that it's really good; it manages to connect with the modern viewer despite its subject matter being the divisions sown by upbringing, class, education and money over a century ago. (Well, given the situation in Britain today, maybe that's not so surprising ... plus ca change, and all that).
E.M. Forster's characters are brilliantly depicted in all their irritating, well-meaning, vulnerable complexity. I do have one reservation - personally, I'm not sure whether a black Jacky is a help or a hindrance. We're repeatedly told in the novel that the reason Leonard's family won't accept her is that she's 'not respectable' (ie she's a woman with a past) – a label that's lost much of its sting today of course, but does it help to introduce the additional possibility of racial prejudice? This is not a modern makeover, and as the novel stands Jacky's not a candidate for colour-blind casting – if she were dark skinned the other characters would comment upon it in no uncertain terms!
There have been so many different critiques of Howards End over the years - so many dissections of the Schlegels, the Wilcoxes and the Basts and their failure to 'only connect' with each other's attitudes and thought processes, so many opinions expressed as to the credibility or otherwise of the sequence of events that follows Helen's disastrous attempt to confront Henry Wilcox with the Basts' financial crisis - that one might wonder what fresh perspective anyone can possibly come up with. Well, over the past three weeks I've been treated to one: nobody, it seems, has gone out of their way to seek the opinion of a self-educated council estate boy. Enter Mr B...
Hubby is a voracious reader, but he prefers crime and fantasy to the classics so this is his first introduction to Howards End. It's certainly provoked some strong emotions! He identifies passionately with Leonard Bast, and grinds his teeth at the Wilcoxes' smug capitalism; but he also loathes the Schlegels, all of them, with their endless theorising and well-meant but sadly misplaced interference. He wishes it were a straightforward bare-knuckle fight between the other two families, unhindered by said interference; and when I point out that the Schlegels are pivotal to the story, and that furthermore they and their attitudes are alive and well and living just down the road in Hanover, Fiveways and Hove, it provokes yet more weeping and gnashing of teeth. (This is a man, I should stress, who's not averse to accommodating middle class traits when it suits him; he meditates, burns incense, listens to Baroque music, watches BBC 4, and is a passionate vegetarian-going-on-vegan).
Mr B's atavistic reaction to Forster's characters is a legacy of his troubled, thwarted, poverty-ridden childhood; but also, surely, it's a tribute to the sensitive, observant upper middle class author who worked so painstakingly to make those characters believable. Forster was a product of his class and era as we all are, but his insight into human nature is second to none. He also seems, like Shakespeare and Austen, to have the knack of encapsulating complex psychological processes within his creations by instinct alone. It's a remarkable achievement, and one that I think the BBC has, by and large, done justice to in this adaptation. Looking forward to seeing how they handle the final outcome!
E.M. Forster's characters are brilliantly depicted in all their irritating, well-meaning, vulnerable complexity. I do have one reservation - personally, I'm not sure whether a black Jacky is a help or a hindrance. We're repeatedly told in the novel that the reason Leonard's family won't accept her is that she's 'not respectable' (ie she's a woman with a past) – a label that's lost much of its sting today of course, but does it help to introduce the additional possibility of racial prejudice? This is not a modern makeover, and as the novel stands Jacky's not a candidate for colour-blind casting – if she were dark skinned the other characters would comment upon it in no uncertain terms!
There have been so many different critiques of Howards End over the years - so many dissections of the Schlegels, the Wilcoxes and the Basts and their failure to 'only connect' with each other's attitudes and thought processes, so many opinions expressed as to the credibility or otherwise of the sequence of events that follows Helen's disastrous attempt to confront Henry Wilcox with the Basts' financial crisis - that one might wonder what fresh perspective anyone can possibly come up with. Well, over the past three weeks I've been treated to one: nobody, it seems, has gone out of their way to seek the opinion of a self-educated council estate boy. Enter Mr B...
Hubby is a voracious reader, but he prefers crime and fantasy to the classics so this is his first introduction to Howards End. It's certainly provoked some strong emotions! He identifies passionately with Leonard Bast, and grinds his teeth at the Wilcoxes' smug capitalism; but he also loathes the Schlegels, all of them, with their endless theorising and well-meant but sadly misplaced interference. He wishes it were a straightforward bare-knuckle fight between the other two families, unhindered by said interference; and when I point out that the Schlegels are pivotal to the story, and that furthermore they and their attitudes are alive and well and living just down the road in Hanover, Fiveways and Hove, it provokes yet more weeping and gnashing of teeth. (This is a man, I should stress, who's not averse to accommodating middle class traits when it suits him; he meditates, burns incense, listens to Baroque music, watches BBC 4, and is a passionate vegetarian-going-on-vegan).
Mr B's atavistic reaction to Forster's characters is a legacy of his troubled, thwarted, poverty-ridden childhood; but also, surely, it's a tribute to the sensitive, observant upper middle class author who worked so painstakingly to make those characters believable. Forster was a product of his class and era as we all are, but his insight into human nature is second to none. He also seems, like Shakespeare and Austen, to have the knack of encapsulating complex psychological processes within his creations by instinct alone. It's a remarkable achievement, and one that I think the BBC has, by and large, done justice to in this adaptation. Looking forward to seeing how they handle the final outcome!
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Charlie wrote: "Great post. Really interesting to hear what Mr B. thinks. Forster continues to be relevant! One point: I'm inclined to think that the casting of Jacky is an illuminating piece of colour-conscious ..."
Yes, point taken, the West Africa business and its implications aren't expanded upon in the original ... and Henry's relationship with Jacky does fit in there. It's a good point for discussion!
One point: I'm inclined to think that the casting of Jacky is an illuminating piece of colour-conscious casting rather than a complication. After all, in this adaptation, the younger Schlegels are being given dialogue (not in the original) pertaining to the Wilcox investments in W. Africa and their inhumane exploitation of workers there. The producers obviously want to make the clear connection between the conscience-free, adventure-capitalist imperialists and the woeful condition of the poor (globally and locally) upon the whom they feed - and whose suffering creates the 'golden islands' upon which the Schegels and Wilcoxes stand. Margaret has to face up to the uncomfortable implications of marrying into such a family and, of course, Henry's exploitative sexual relationship with Jacky neatly brings it all together. Looking forward to the final episode tomorrow!