An Analysis Of E. M. Forster’s Contradictory Attitude Towards Women In His Italian Novels

Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) is one of the most outstanding20th century Britishnovelists and critics. His novels have been highly praised by scholars and critics the worldover. Although he is considered as a traditional writer by some people, it doesn’t mean thatthey deny his significant literary achievements and position in modern British literature. Thedistinctive charm of Forster’s novels lies in his profound thoughts and the gentle humanistphilosophy. His insights into many vital problems of the modern world still have afar-reaching influence nowadays. Among those problems, some are about the female issues.This thesis takes E. M. Forster’s Italian novels as its subjects of study. Forster’s Italiannovels refer to his earlier novels, Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905) and A Room with a View(1908). Forster loved the free and romantic Italian culture and hoped that the English couldlearn from it and convert to a more liberal and frank outlook on life. But to his disappointment,confronting with the vigorous Italians, most of the British people abroad chose to neglectthem, and took it for granted that the British are a superior nation. As it is shown by Forster’sItalian novels, he is a person with social responsibility. Forster expected that the British couldfind their own prejudices, snobbery, and rigidity after reading his novels and eventually getimproved. In Forster’s description, Italy works as a catalyst in women’s transformation. Hearranges his women characters to travel to Italy, the vigorous Italy makes them bediscontented with their former life in Britain and try to get rid of it.Forster did very successfully in creating and depicting women characters in his novels.By using the feminist literary theories to analyze his female images, this thesis attempts topropose an argument that E. M. Forster has a contradictory attitude towards women. On onehand, Forster is a male writer with feminist thoughts. Through analyzing his criticism ofwomen’s suffrage in Victorian family and his description of the women’s transformation inItaly, the thesis tries to explain his respect and sympathy towards women. What’s more,Forster proclaimed comradeship between the male and the female and expected a societywhere men and women are equal. On the other hand, he has limitations in his outlook of women---he is still living in the shadows of the patriarchal conventions. He believes that menhave a vital function in women’s emancipation. Without wise men’s salvage, women can’tachieve liberation on their own efforts. His Male Chauvinism can also be seen from hisdislike and misunderstanding of the independent women. He also views women unfairly insome other aspects, especially in his description of the windowed mothers. The femalepatriarchy defenders are over criticised by him whereas the male characters are lesscondemned.