Relationships: The Idea of Connection in the Novels of E. M. Forster Tracing the Influence of G. E. Moore
Abstract
E. M. Forster firmly believed in the value of human relations; the supreme achievement which a person could make was to form a true connection. The connection could be formed between a person and almost anything from which that person could derive truth and satisfaction. Forster believed in making connections with other people, both romantic and platonic; he believed in forming connections with the inner self, through self-discovery and acceptance; he placed value in connections between free spirited people; he saw merit in strong bonds which conquered obstacles during their formation. The type of connection was not important, for what supremely mattered was the connection itself. Forster has created in his six novels — The Longest Journey, Where Angels Fear to Tread, A Room with A View, Howards End, Maurice, and A Passage to India — connections among many different kinds of people, across many types of obstacles.
This belief in human relations primarily arose because of the philosophy of G. E. Moore, which influenced Forster both directly and indirectly. G. E. Moore felt that the three things which mattered above all else in this world are human relations, truth, and beauty. Forster, too, holds these ideals in great esteem in his novels. I will begin my discussion by outlining the philosophy of G. E. Moore, including truth and reality, his eternal question “What is good?”, human relations, and beauty. I will then show the three primary paths of influence which Moore’s ideas took in order to reach Forster: the Cambridge Apostles, the Bloomsbury Group, and Forster’s and Moore’s mutual friends. Next, I will discuss the philosophy of Forster, according to his novels, including human relationships, criteria for an ideal connection, two kinds of love, the transformation of Forster’s philosophy during his life, and the value of the free spirit. Finally, I will discuss the novels themselves, relating four types of connections: connections of intellect, connections of passion, connections with inner self and truth, and connections across obstacles.
Description
Program year: 1996/1997Digitized from print original stored in HDR
Citation
Thompson, Aselda Josefa (1994). Relationships: The Idea of Connection in the Novels of E. M. Forster Tracing the Influence of G. E. Moore. University Undergraduate Fellow. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /CAPSTONE -ThompsonA _1994.