On The Three Social Forces In E. M. Forster's Howards End

Edward Morgan Forster is one of the most important British novelists in Edwardian period. Howards End has generally been considered as his maturest and most excellent earlier work. The novel is published in 1910, a period of social transformation in England. Forster's novels depict crucial aspects of the social life in Edwardian England, which also have distinctive characteristics of the time."Structure of feeling"is a term proposed by the British Marxist and literary critic Raymond Williams. It is a concept applied to describe what is actually being lived in a particular period. According to Williams, in any historical period, different cultural forces interact, and he poses three components of social experience, namely the"residual', the"dominant"and the"emergent". During the transitional period, these elements coexist and are in tension. Williams'concept of"structure of feeling"sheds new light on the analysis of the interactions between Forster's novel and the socio-cultural context of the Edwardian period.With Williams'three theoretical key words, i.e."residual',"dominant"and"emergent", the thesis mainly focuses on three characters who are representative of their respective social force in Howards End to explore the social experience actually being felt by the English people during the transitional period, and further delineates the social condition of that time. The first chapter deals with the"residual"social forces. Ruth Wilcox embodies the values of the pre-modern British civilization and the traditional morality closely related with the country house. She is the guardian of the old morality in the new era. Margaret is a typical Edwardian liberal-humanistic intellectual, and is also the spiritual heir to Ruth. She struggles to find a home in the continual flux of London; ultimately she retreats from the hustle and bustle in the city to Howards End, deviating from disorder of the external life to the contemplation of inner world. Chapter two analyses the"dominant"social forces represented by the Wilcox family. They belong to wealthy upper class who has constructed the Empire, taking hold of the social discourse. The middle-class values represented by those of Henry are predominant at that time and penetrate into the popular social attitudes. But the Wilcoxes pay no attention to the emotional and spiritual world, and have fundamental moral defects. The third chapter examines the"emergent"social forces. Leonard Bast struggles to change his social status through literature and art. The conflicts between the ideals and the reality reflected on him indicate the pursuit of success and of access to social respectability and recognition among the general public. The conclusion expounds that in the period of social transformation, Howards End, emblematic of a stable social order and long-lasting moral values, has finally turned into a utopian spiritual home.