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A Passage to India
First major theatrical adaptation of EM Forster's classic novel for a contemporary audience
Before deciding whether to marry Chandrapore's local magistrate, Adela Quested wants to discover the "real India" for herself. Newly arrived from England, she agrees to see the Marabar Caves with the charming Dr Aziz. Through this one harmless event Forster exposes the absurdity, hysteria and depth of cultural ignorance that existed in British India in the twenties.
E.M. Forster's classic novel is here adapted in this highly theatrical, humorous and faithful version for the stage by the author of Bent, Martin Sherman and published to tie in with a major new production of A Passage to India produced by Shared Experience Theatre company.
Before deciding whether to marry Chandrapore's local magistrate, Adela Quested wants to discover the "real India" for herself. Newly arrived from England, she agrees to see the Marabar Caves with the charming Dr Aziz. Through this one harmless event Forster exposes the absurdity, hysteria and depth of cultural ignorance that existed in British India in the twenties.
E.M. Forster's classic novel is here adapted in this highly theatrical, humorous and faithful version for the stage by the author of Bent, Martin Sherman and published to tie in with a major new production of A Passage to India produced by Shared Experience Theatre company.
99 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 27, 2012
This was so dry. So very dry. And dense. Its also kind of good.
November 26, 2025
The only place this book was going was sleepy town. All aboard 🚆🥱
April 23, 2022
Overly descriptive. I struggled to focus on this book and eventually felt that reading it was a chore. I did finish it but honestly wish I hadn't bothered.
September 23, 2022
I liked how india was described in this, Aziz and fielding gay as heck.
July 30, 2018
It should be noted that what I read and am reviewing here is a play that is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by E.M. Forster that I have not read. I am going to assume that the plot is basically the same, but this is a play, and it is a book that I managed to find in the stacks of my local library but that was not in the book's database. I chose to read the book because I guessed it had something to say about imperialism, and though the story does not appear to be all that compelling when viewed on its own apart from the somewhat heavily freighted, it is easy to see how the story has become a classic because of the influence of anti-imperialism in contemporary studies. This book is a clear example of what happens with politics trumps the essential elements of a story, and where a book becomes famous and viewed as a classic without really deserving the honor on its own merits. As much as I am intrigued by India [1], subject matter alone does not make for a classic work.
This play is a two-act drama of about 100 pages in length, and it is mercifully short, because the plot is wafer thin. When one is used to reading great plays, reading a play like this one of such mediocre content is more than a bit disappointing. The plot itself is pretty basic--an idealistic young woman from England goes to India to see if she is going to marry a local Anglo-Indian magistrate there. She finds herself charmed by her potential future mother-in-law, who wants to escape from conflict and who finds the troubles of British imperialism in India too difficult to honestly face, and is taken on a cave expedition that leads her to think herself attacked by her Indian host, Dr. Aziz, only to realize that she had made a dreadful mistake by falsely accusing him, when the case becomes massively and sensationally political. A great deal of the discussion is tiresome, focusing on the fact that Adela, or Miss Quested, is supposedly some sort of great prig, as if it mattered, and discussing the snobbery among the British population and their hauteur towards their subjects, as if that made a book more interesting to read.
It would be a great disservice if Forster's work happened to be a good one, since this play is not a very compelling one to read. If you do not happen to share the author's worldview, there is not much to enjoy here, since this play is exceptionally heavy-handed in its approach to imperialism. Most of the English here are not particularly sympathetic, but that is largely because most of them appeared to have worshiped power and not been very good Christians. Of all the characters in the play, I think I resemble the somewhat gauche but also sympathetic Adela the most, and the fact that the writer is rather harsh towards her makes me less sympathetic towards him and to his work as a whole. Dr. Aziz and Mrs. Moore are viewed as somewhat sympathetic characters as well, but for the most part this book is strongly lacking in people worth caring about who behave in ways that are worth giving credit to. The big points in the book are heavily signposted, and amount to bromides about imperialism being bad and honesty being good and all that. This is a play that was barely worth reading and would not be worth paying for in a theater.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
This play is a two-act drama of about 100 pages in length, and it is mercifully short, because the plot is wafer thin. When one is used to reading great plays, reading a play like this one of such mediocre content is more than a bit disappointing. The plot itself is pretty basic--an idealistic young woman from England goes to India to see if she is going to marry a local Anglo-Indian magistrate there. She finds herself charmed by her potential future mother-in-law, who wants to escape from conflict and who finds the troubles of British imperialism in India too difficult to honestly face, and is taken on a cave expedition that leads her to think herself attacked by her Indian host, Dr. Aziz, only to realize that she had made a dreadful mistake by falsely accusing him, when the case becomes massively and sensationally political. A great deal of the discussion is tiresome, focusing on the fact that Adela, or Miss Quested, is supposedly some sort of great prig, as if it mattered, and discussing the snobbery among the British population and their hauteur towards their subjects, as if that made a book more interesting to read.
It would be a great disservice if Forster's work happened to be a good one, since this play is not a very compelling one to read. If you do not happen to share the author's worldview, there is not much to enjoy here, since this play is exceptionally heavy-handed in its approach to imperialism. Most of the English here are not particularly sympathetic, but that is largely because most of them appeared to have worshiped power and not been very good Christians. Of all the characters in the play, I think I resemble the somewhat gauche but also sympathetic Adela the most, and the fact that the writer is rather harsh towards her makes me less sympathetic towards him and to his work as a whole. Dr. Aziz and Mrs. Moore are viewed as somewhat sympathetic characters as well, but for the most part this book is strongly lacking in people worth caring about who behave in ways that are worth giving credit to. The big points in the book are heavily signposted, and amount to bromides about imperialism being bad and honesty being good and all that. This is a play that was barely worth reading and would not be worth paying for in a theater.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
June 29, 2022
" He entered the dark waters, pushing the village before in the rain, and king kansa was confounded with the father abd the mother of the lord. Dark and solid, the little waves sipped , then a great wave washed and then English voices cried "Take Care!"
BOOK: A passage to India
AUTHOR: E. M. FOSTER
GENRE: #politicalfiction
PUBLISHER:@fingerprintpublishingbooks
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The story is set in the back drops of the Birtish Raj and the indian independence movement in the 1920s. A simple story of how an Indian doctor wishes that Indian and English can be friends, he proves it but not with its difficulties. Britishers feels superior to indians and their boiling hot clinate, yet they are fascinated by the history of the country and mainly focuses on touring while they remain in India.
Dr. Aziz is a young Indian doctor who happens to taste the sweetness and bitterness of being friends with English. The difference between and English and Indian is clearly depicted in the book along with how each feel around the other and about each other. Though I came to know from the forenote that the author Foster was gay and at his times coming out was not a wise option, and I also read that he have written queer novels, I couldnt really grasp if Dr. Aziz and his english friend Fielding were really friends or something more than friends, I felt there is an indication of something more.
#suggested to all those who would like reading #historical or #political #fiction novel.
#apassagetoindia
#emfoster
#british
#indian
#britishraj
#indianculture
#india
#friendship
#culturaldifferences
#politics
#history
#misunderstanding
#bookstagrampost
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammer
#booksbooksbooks
#reader
#read
#review
#reviewer
#reviews
#readerssnapshot
#keepreading
#junetbr
BOOK: A passage to India
AUTHOR: E. M. FOSTER
GENRE: #politicalfiction
PUBLISHER:@fingerprintpublishingbooks
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The story is set in the back drops of the Birtish Raj and the indian independence movement in the 1920s. A simple story of how an Indian doctor wishes that Indian and English can be friends, he proves it but not with its difficulties. Britishers feels superior to indians and their boiling hot clinate, yet they are fascinated by the history of the country and mainly focuses on touring while they remain in India.
Dr. Aziz is a young Indian doctor who happens to taste the sweetness and bitterness of being friends with English. The difference between and English and Indian is clearly depicted in the book along with how each feel around the other and about each other. Though I came to know from the forenote that the author Foster was gay and at his times coming out was not a wise option, and I also read that he have written queer novels, I couldnt really grasp if Dr. Aziz and his english friend Fielding were really friends or something more than friends, I felt there is an indication of something more.
#suggested to all those who would like reading #historical or #political #fiction novel.
#apassagetoindia
#emfoster
#british
#indian
#britishraj
#indianculture
#india
#friendship
#culturaldifferences
#politics
#history
#misunderstanding
#bookstagrampost
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammer
#booksbooksbooks
#reader
#read
#review
#reviewer
#reviews
#readerssnapshot
#keepreading
#junetbr
February 5, 2018
It is one of the Modern Library's Best 100 Novels, but I found it to be just okay. The plot was not compelling, but the setting (India), interaction of Hindu and Islamic cultures, and interaction between the Imperialist English and the Indians were interesting points.
January 21, 2023
This is a period drama set in British India in the 1920s, a novel that appears on almost all lists of the best books of the century. Somehow I missed it and had not read it till now.
Adela Quested, a plain looking English woman, travels to India in the company of Mrs. Moore whose son Ronny Heaslop is magistrate in the small town of Chandrapore, India. If all goes well, Adela may marry Ron Heaslop. Both women want to see the real India and experience the romantic atmosphere and know India’s people. Meanwhile Ronny Heaslop is not the same man Adela knew in England. Like the other Englishmen he works with in India, Ronny looks down on Indians, considers them inferior and advises his mother and Adela to “stay away from natives.” The British live apart from the Indians, gather in a club where Indians are not allowed. They look down on the Indians and openly express their disdain. The only Englishman who is friendly towards Indians is the Professor in a local college, Cyril Fielding.
Ignoring Ronny Heaslop’s advice, Adela and Mrs. Moore make the acquaintance of a young Muslim doctor, Dr. Aziz. Dr. Aziz is a friend of Cyril Fielding. Aziz, who believes that friendship is possible between the British and Indians, arranges a trip to the nearby Marabar Caves. There, when in a cave, Adela is overcome by emotion and accuses Aziz of inappropriate behaviour. Aziz is charged, a trial ensues. Before the end of the trial Adela withdraws her charges as false. This incident not only ruins Aziz's reputation and his view of the British but creates tension between the two communities.
The book has a plot, tells a story, but the main theme of the book is British colonization of India, the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. The British are portrayed as insular, prejudiced, determined to control India by force. The incident at the Marabar caves and the following trial of Dr. Aziz, serves to bring out British prejudice. Only two British characters in the novel, Mrs. Moore and Cyril Fielding are shown to have any understanding of or empathy for the Indians and see them as equals. Mr. McBryde, District Superintendent of Police had formulated a theory that “all natives are criminals at heart for the simple reason that they live south of latitude 30”. “The kindest thing one can do to an Indian is to let him die” says Mrs. Callendar, “they give me the creeps”. “ if one couldn’t see the laughable side of these people one would be done for”, says Miss Derek. The idea that all dark races are sexually attracted to white races is used as an argument in the trial. The book is immensely critical of the British who are portrayed as openly prejudiced and feel justified in being so.
Forster finished the book in 1921 more than twenty years before the British left India. When you take timing into consideration you realize how bold the author was to write a book that criticized colonialism and propagated the idea of a free India,. The book is against colonization & clearly makes a case for Indian independence. In the beginning Aziz has a positive attitude towards the English. He thinks friendship is possible between Indians and the British, but in the course of the novel after the trial even his friendship with Fielding falls apart. As the novel proceeds, Aziz becomes anti British and begins to dream of an independent India. Towards the later pages of the book he says “I wish no Englishman or English woman to be my friend “. The end of the book gives us a glimpse of hope that friendship is possible between Indians and the British during those years of British colonialism. Fielding and Aziz renew their friendship and Ralph Moore, Mrs Moore’s other son seems to have his mother’s kinder wider outlook on Indians.
Religion plays an interesting role in the novel, Islam and Hinduism mainly. Christianity, the religion of the ruling class is absent, there is no mention of it in the novel. Aziz is Moslem, Godbole is Hindu. There is the important meeting of Mrs. Moore and Aziz at the Mosque, there is an elaborate description of the festival of the Hindu god Krishna’s birth. There is mention of Hinduism’s inclusive view of humanity, the idea of the Oneness of all creatures. And of course there is Aziz’s hopeful battle cry “ India shall be a nation! No foreigners of any sort! Hindu and Moslem and Sikh and all shall be one!”
I enjoyed the book for the bold statement it makes about colonization, bigotry, and the cultural divide in ethnic relationships. But it was not an easy read. Parts of the book are very slow and drags. After the trial, the plot lost steam but dragged on for a few more pages. I’m glad that I read the book, its examination of racism and colonization alone make it a worthwhile read. The story is simple but the book has many layers that need careful consideration.
Adela Quested, a plain looking English woman, travels to India in the company of Mrs. Moore whose son Ronny Heaslop is magistrate in the small town of Chandrapore, India. If all goes well, Adela may marry Ron Heaslop. Both women want to see the real India and experience the romantic atmosphere and know India’s people. Meanwhile Ronny Heaslop is not the same man Adela knew in England. Like the other Englishmen he works with in India, Ronny looks down on Indians, considers them inferior and advises his mother and Adela to “stay away from natives.” The British live apart from the Indians, gather in a club where Indians are not allowed. They look down on the Indians and openly express their disdain. The only Englishman who is friendly towards Indians is the Professor in a local college, Cyril Fielding.
Ignoring Ronny Heaslop’s advice, Adela and Mrs. Moore make the acquaintance of a young Muslim doctor, Dr. Aziz. Dr. Aziz is a friend of Cyril Fielding. Aziz, who believes that friendship is possible between the British and Indians, arranges a trip to the nearby Marabar Caves. There, when in a cave, Adela is overcome by emotion and accuses Aziz of inappropriate behaviour. Aziz is charged, a trial ensues. Before the end of the trial Adela withdraws her charges as false. This incident not only ruins Aziz's reputation and his view of the British but creates tension between the two communities.
The book has a plot, tells a story, but the main theme of the book is British colonization of India, the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. The British are portrayed as insular, prejudiced, determined to control India by force. The incident at the Marabar caves and the following trial of Dr. Aziz, serves to bring out British prejudice. Only two British characters in the novel, Mrs. Moore and Cyril Fielding are shown to have any understanding of or empathy for the Indians and see them as equals. Mr. McBryde, District Superintendent of Police had formulated a theory that “all natives are criminals at heart for the simple reason that they live south of latitude 30”. “The kindest thing one can do to an Indian is to let him die” says Mrs. Callendar, “they give me the creeps”. “ if one couldn’t see the laughable side of these people one would be done for”, says Miss Derek. The idea that all dark races are sexually attracted to white races is used as an argument in the trial. The book is immensely critical of the British who are portrayed as openly prejudiced and feel justified in being so.
Forster finished the book in 1921 more than twenty years before the British left India. When you take timing into consideration you realize how bold the author was to write a book that criticized colonialism and propagated the idea of a free India,. The book is against colonization & clearly makes a case for Indian independence. In the beginning Aziz has a positive attitude towards the English. He thinks friendship is possible between Indians and the British, but in the course of the novel after the trial even his friendship with Fielding falls apart. As the novel proceeds, Aziz becomes anti British and begins to dream of an independent India. Towards the later pages of the book he says “I wish no Englishman or English woman to be my friend “. The end of the book gives us a glimpse of hope that friendship is possible between Indians and the British during those years of British colonialism. Fielding and Aziz renew their friendship and Ralph Moore, Mrs Moore’s other son seems to have his mother’s kinder wider outlook on Indians.
Religion plays an interesting role in the novel, Islam and Hinduism mainly. Christianity, the religion of the ruling class is absent, there is no mention of it in the novel. Aziz is Moslem, Godbole is Hindu. There is the important meeting of Mrs. Moore and Aziz at the Mosque, there is an elaborate description of the festival of the Hindu god Krishna’s birth. There is mention of Hinduism’s inclusive view of humanity, the idea of the Oneness of all creatures. And of course there is Aziz’s hopeful battle cry “ India shall be a nation! No foreigners of any sort! Hindu and Moslem and Sikh and all shall be one!”
I enjoyed the book for the bold statement it makes about colonization, bigotry, and the cultural divide in ethnic relationships. But it was not an easy read. Parts of the book are very slow and drags. After the trial, the plot lost steam but dragged on for a few more pages. I’m glad that I read the book, its examination of racism and colonization alone make it a worthwhile read. The story is simple but the book has many layers that need careful consideration.
October 13, 2019
Read this PLAY right after finishing the book (finally reading the book was initiated by my friend considering the possibility of taking part in the play).
Interesting to consider how the play is laid out in comparison to the book. The book has a lot of inner thoughts explained and there are events in it which obviously cannot appear in the l play, many more characters. I know that this is a play and a lot more would be put onto the stage than what can be read, but I understood why my friend, for example, couldn’t find the appeal by just reading the play.
The dialogues are basically just plucked from the book with hardly any of the inner monologues and reasonings explained.
The book makes everyone a 3D character whereas the play, I’ve decided, is more what external people would see of life events unfolding whereas the book describes why different decisions were being made by each character.
In the play Fielding seems to be the only reasonable character and all the other characters each have less than one conversation and decide everything.
The book goes into the nuances of the differences between the “natives” and their religions and the reasons why there’s no “one India,” and it explores different emotional and life experiences. The play does none of this - it feels like it is just there to narrate the events of Adela’s visit to India and her love that could be and love lost and minimises her experience to “hallucinations” whereas in the book they really consider the options, you see her turmoil through the whole thing, you see how different words are being put into her mouth.
In the book you really see the development of relationships and friendships, especially of that of Fielding and Aziz and the beauty in their last conversation, knowing it is their last and being able to speak about anything, whereas in the play it feels like “bye felicia”.
In short - really enjoyed the book and its nuances, the play is skeletal and makes you feel like something’s missing and feels insensitive.
Interesting to consider how the play is laid out in comparison to the book. The book has a lot of inner thoughts explained and there are events in it which obviously cannot appear in the l play, many more characters. I know that this is a play and a lot more would be put onto the stage than what can be read, but I understood why my friend, for example, couldn’t find the appeal by just reading the play.
The dialogues are basically just plucked from the book with hardly any of the inner monologues and reasonings explained.
The book makes everyone a 3D character whereas the play, I’ve decided, is more what external people would see of life events unfolding whereas the book describes why different decisions were being made by each character.
In the play Fielding seems to be the only reasonable character and all the other characters each have less than one conversation and decide everything.
The book goes into the nuances of the differences between the “natives” and their religions and the reasons why there’s no “one India,” and it explores different emotional and life experiences. The play does none of this - it feels like it is just there to narrate the events of Adela’s visit to India and her love that could be and love lost and minimises her experience to “hallucinations” whereas in the book they really consider the options, you see her turmoil through the whole thing, you see how different words are being put into her mouth.
In the book you really see the development of relationships and friendships, especially of that of Fielding and Aziz and the beauty in their last conversation, knowing it is their last and being able to speak about anything, whereas in the play it feels like “bye felicia”.
In short - really enjoyed the book and its nuances, the play is skeletal and makes you feel like something’s missing and feels insensitive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2024
On some levels I really liked this book. And for an English writer in the 1920s it was no doubt brilliantly enlightened.
As a depiction of colonial prejudice, of our attitudes and behaviours, it was incisive. As a tale of misunderstandings and failed communication it was painfully authentic. But its characterisation of India and Indian people as inherently unknowable to the Western mind is very grating, 100 years on.
I'm always wary of British colonial takes on colonised people and this book hasn't changed that!
As a depiction of colonial prejudice, of our attitudes and behaviours, it was incisive. As a tale of misunderstandings and failed communication it was painfully authentic. But its characterisation of India and Indian people as inherently unknowable to the Western mind is very grating, 100 years on.
I'm always wary of British colonial takes on colonised people and this book hasn't changed that!
September 4, 2022
Martin depicts the early 1900th India and the complex relationships between indians and british through a story about an indian doctor falsely accused of abusing a british woman.
You get to learn about that epoch, the institutions, the traditions and the views those groups of people had of each other.
You get to learn about that epoch, the institutions, the traditions and the views those groups of people had of each other.
December 27, 2020
I read this book earlier in the year and forgot to record it. The book provided interesting insight into colonial India, which is a topic I know little about. I found the editor's, Oliver Stallybrass introduction about E.M Forster's relationship to India and the process of writing interesting.
March 4, 2023
Lots of colonialism here.
Cultural stuff is good
A novel built on misunderstanding and/or the politeness of not being able to talk about things more freely.
Enjoyed it from Cultural and historical sense, but it also felt a little heavy handed
Cultural stuff is good
A novel built on misunderstanding and/or the politeness of not being able to talk about things more freely.
Enjoyed it from Cultural and historical sense, but it also felt a little heavy handed
March 20, 2024
I gave it three but it might've been a two.
I liked the image of India but I guess I needed more pictures.
I liked reading about the racism at the time and the point of view from the British Indians.
I liked the image of India but I guess I needed more pictures.
I liked reading about the racism at the time and the point of view from the British Indians.
April 17, 2025
Glad I read it but it was a bit heavy going (as one would expect of EM Forster). I kept feeling I was missing a deeper meaning underlying it all. it was interesting to see Forster's approach to colonialism which would have been very radical at the time of writing.
November 10, 2020
Very interesting and much like my experience when I was there in 1995.
September 17, 2023
Quite boring...the story could be a good basic for wonderfull book but not....you will get the feeling that there something is missing
March 18, 2024
". . . the flames touch one another, kiss, expire." Continues to resonate metaphorically decades on.
July 30, 2025
Love being immersed in another time and place.
August 23, 2020
Props to Forster for creating characters that were part products of circumstance and part strong in ideals. He shows the evils of colonisation for what they are while also saying that not every white person is the same.
September 1, 2013
I sat for a good hour after finishing this novel trying to process the whole thing and sort out in my mind what it is all about. What's going to follow here is a (probably incoherent) pouring out of things that struck me.
I found it interesting that the trial ends with a third of the book still to come. I have not seen the movie, but I imagine that Adela's recanting of her accusation will be close to the climax, leaving only a brief denouement. My first thought was that that whole thing resolved too easily, but then that led me to believe that the real crisis was something other than Marabar caves.
The book is about connecting with each other, about humans living with other humans. At some point Fielding reflects that perhaps we only exist in relation to each other, and through this interconnectedness, perhaps trying to find the true heart of this novel is like trying to find the heart of a cloud, as Forster describes the Hindu festival at the end of the novel.
And what a strange third section, eh? I felt like the book was itself a transition from Victorian literature to modern literature. The opening sequences could very well have been something from Jane Austen, strangers meeting, and a general focus on behaviors and manners. But then Nawab Bahadur's car strikes the "ghost," which Mrs. Moore (or the saintlike Esmiss Esmoor) somehow detects and things get wonky. Adela has her "echo." And then comes the third section where god is, was not, is not, was and all things get tumbled up like two overturned boats and a clay representation of a city and letters all spread out in the water with people either riotously upset or incredibly joyous. Perception is so limited and any individual's single view seems so inadequate to piece together the mysteries of life.
But wait there's more. How much do you love the passage in the caves when Mrs. Moore breaks down due to the "boum" of the cave, a "boum" that exists outside morality and seems to give a glimpse of the universe as an uncaring place, where everything from the significant to the insignificant, from the fluttering of Angels' wings to the screeching of demons is returned to us with the same meaningless sound,"boum." And what do you make of Adela's echos? Did the spirit of Esmiss Esmoor exorcise Adela from her echo and illusions?
How did Godbole connect Mrs. Moore to the wasp since he wasn't there when she first remarked upon the sleeping wasp? Is Mrs. Moore really more?
Why is Adela's last name "Quested"? She searched out "India" and "Indians" but was there no real process? Was it always already in the past tense?
Is "India" a microcosm of the world. Can "India" be unified and bring together all it's factions through understanding, or are things already together and separate, is and is not, was and was not?
Reply
This book and Mr. Forster are much smarter than I am, and I feel like he handled all these huge questions expertly, with clear and insightful sentences. I found myself quoting many lines to Ann as I read. "There are different ways of evil, and I prefer mine to yours."
Two last questions: what do you make of the naked god-like men, the one who turns the fan in the courtroom and the one with the city tray in the final scene where the boats collide?
Is Patience, the card game, like solitaire? How fitting is it, if so, that Mrs. Moore wants to play a game that exists within itself, where you can play with no relationship to any other players and the colors intermix so easily (playing a red nine on a black ten)?
I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more blogging! Actually, I just had two more thoughts and wanted to float them. First, I believe the women get a very raw deal here, obviously. Adela is delusional or hysterical. The Anglo-Indian women are blamed for the real hardships by the men, just as it is acknowledged that they treat the native men the worst. But intriguingly, Aziz wants to put an end to purdah. Hmmm. And Mrs. Moore is turned into a saint even though she's not exactly saintly.
Second, I'm intrigued by the "passage" in the title. "Passage" is used to describe Mrs. Moore's and Adela's travels to India, but it is also used in the final section to describe the birth of Krishna, or the moving from one state of existence to another. How do these two meaning meet in Forster's story about India? Write a five paragraph essay. :p
I found it interesting that the trial ends with a third of the book still to come. I have not seen the movie, but I imagine that Adela's recanting of her accusation will be close to the climax, leaving only a brief denouement. My first thought was that that whole thing resolved too easily, but then that led me to believe that the real crisis was something other than Marabar caves.
The book is about connecting with each other, about humans living with other humans. At some point Fielding reflects that perhaps we only exist in relation to each other, and through this interconnectedness, perhaps trying to find the true heart of this novel is like trying to find the heart of a cloud, as Forster describes the Hindu festival at the end of the novel.
And what a strange third section, eh? I felt like the book was itself a transition from Victorian literature to modern literature. The opening sequences could very well have been something from Jane Austen, strangers meeting, and a general focus on behaviors and manners. But then Nawab Bahadur's car strikes the "ghost," which Mrs. Moore (or the saintlike Esmiss Esmoor) somehow detects and things get wonky. Adela has her "echo." And then comes the third section where god is, was not, is not, was and all things get tumbled up like two overturned boats and a clay representation of a city and letters all spread out in the water with people either riotously upset or incredibly joyous. Perception is so limited and any individual's single view seems so inadequate to piece together the mysteries of life.
But wait there's more. How much do you love the passage in the caves when Mrs. Moore breaks down due to the "boum" of the cave, a "boum" that exists outside morality and seems to give a glimpse of the universe as an uncaring place, where everything from the significant to the insignificant, from the fluttering of Angels' wings to the screeching of demons is returned to us with the same meaningless sound,"boum." And what do you make of Adela's echos? Did the spirit of Esmiss Esmoor exorcise Adela from her echo and illusions?
How did Godbole connect Mrs. Moore to the wasp since he wasn't there when she first remarked upon the sleeping wasp? Is Mrs. Moore really more?
Why is Adela's last name "Quested"? She searched out "India" and "Indians" but was there no real process? Was it always already in the past tense?
Is "India" a microcosm of the world. Can "India" be unified and bring together all it's factions through understanding, or are things already together and separate, is and is not, was and was not?
Reply
This book and Mr. Forster are much smarter than I am, and I feel like he handled all these huge questions expertly, with clear and insightful sentences. I found myself quoting many lines to Ann as I read. "There are different ways of evil, and I prefer mine to yours."
Two last questions: what do you make of the naked god-like men, the one who turns the fan in the courtroom and the one with the city tray in the final scene where the boats collide?
Is Patience, the card game, like solitaire? How fitting is it, if so, that Mrs. Moore wants to play a game that exists within itself, where you can play with no relationship to any other players and the colors intermix so easily (playing a red nine on a black ten)?
I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more blogging! Actually, I just had two more thoughts and wanted to float them. First, I believe the women get a very raw deal here, obviously. Adela is delusional or hysterical. The Anglo-Indian women are blamed for the real hardships by the men, just as it is acknowledged that they treat the native men the worst. But intriguingly, Aziz wants to put an end to purdah. Hmmm. And Mrs. Moore is turned into a saint even though she's not exactly saintly.
Second, I'm intrigued by the "passage" in the title. "Passage" is used to describe Mrs. Moore's and Adela's travels to India, but it is also used in the final section to describe the birth of Krishna, or the moving from one state of existence to another. How do these two meaning meet in Forster's story about India? Write a five paragraph essay. :p
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2019
So very close to a 5 star rating. Few flaws, but a few in my mind.
This is a wonderful story of Imperialism and culture clash. It is also a comedy of manners where the English are by-in-large priggish and condemning of the Indian natives and the natives are frequently either self denigrating or angry. Most people of either nationality are not willing or interested in treating each other as equals or discovering the finer things about the other race. Yet, however infrequently, there are a few glimmers of hope where people try to broach the chasm of clashes and find the redeeming qualities of each other. It is a story of misunderstandings in general that is written beautifully so that you can see the beauty, feel the heat and smell the distasteful crowds, rivers and detritus throughout the book.
I read it when I was young and am so glad that I reread it now when I'm not so much.
This is a wonderful story of Imperialism and culture clash. It is also a comedy of manners where the English are by-in-large priggish and condemning of the Indian natives and the natives are frequently either self denigrating or angry. Most people of either nationality are not willing or interested in treating each other as equals or discovering the finer things about the other race. Yet, however infrequently, there are a few glimmers of hope where people try to broach the chasm of clashes and find the redeeming qualities of each other. It is a story of misunderstandings in general that is written beautifully so that you can see the beauty, feel the heat and smell the distasteful crowds, rivers and detritus throughout the book.
I read it when I was young and am so glad that I reread it now when I'm not so much.
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June 7, 2013I love this book! Finished in three days!
July 23, 2015
On the list of my favourite novels. Exotic location. Beautiful descriptions. Got in the heroine's skin. Loved the film too.
August 7, 2015
I stopped reading it because it was the same old colonial English read.
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