A Passage To India
4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by 4evagreen from Furness Vale, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Picked up in a mixed box of books from a house clearance.
“Adventures do occur, but not punctually. Life rarely gives us what we want at the moment we consider appropriate.”
― E.M. Forster, A Passage to India
The plot to this book is really a quite slender one in that a British woman Adela Quested travels to India with her prospective mother-in-law to see if she is willing to marry the British magistrate and eventually settle there. Once in India however Adela is appalled by the Anglo-Indians with their narrow minded views, and in particular the Anglo-Indian wives with whom she will have to spend time with if she marries there. Adela decides that she wishes to see India and accepts an invitation to visit the local Marabar caves with an Indian doctor. There she is attacked and unjustly accuses the Doctor of being the assailant.
However despite the thin thread of plot what Forster does wonderfully is weave around it beautifully and detailed descriptions of the local surroundings, weather, caste and religious differences etc so that it becomes rather like those Russian dolls where one is stacked inside another turning a thin thread of cotton into a thick berthing hawser.
The book is a pretty savage critique of Empire rule with its whites only Club and petty governance over the local population trying to squeeze all of India with all its varying religious sects, castes etc into a simple box.All the more impressive because Forster tells from first hand experience.But what the author really asks is whether or not people from different nationalities, religion and background can ever really truly become friends or would there always be an invisible barrier between them?
This would have been seen as pretty revolutioary when it was first written in 1924 and many people today probably feel that the central message is obsolete, after all we know from History about the problems that Empire rule caused all over the world and we have all heard the term Multi-Culturism bandied about by politicians and News organisations. IMHO most of those people are missing the point and that the central message is still relevant today. The only difference being that it is more about people of differing nationalities settling in Britain rather than the British settling abroad.
For me this was a very enjoyable and thought provoking read and I look forward to reading some of Forster's other works
― E.M. Forster, A Passage to India
The plot to this book is really a quite slender one in that a British woman Adela Quested travels to India with her prospective mother-in-law to see if she is willing to marry the British magistrate and eventually settle there. Once in India however Adela is appalled by the Anglo-Indians with their narrow minded views, and in particular the Anglo-Indian wives with whom she will have to spend time with if she marries there. Adela decides that she wishes to see India and accepts an invitation to visit the local Marabar caves with an Indian doctor. There she is attacked and unjustly accuses the Doctor of being the assailant.
However despite the thin thread of plot what Forster does wonderfully is weave around it beautifully and detailed descriptions of the local surroundings, weather, caste and religious differences etc so that it becomes rather like those Russian dolls where one is stacked inside another turning a thin thread of cotton into a thick berthing hawser.
The book is a pretty savage critique of Empire rule with its whites only Club and petty governance over the local population trying to squeeze all of India with all its varying religious sects, castes etc into a simple box.All the more impressive because Forster tells from first hand experience.But what the author really asks is whether or not people from different nationalities, religion and background can ever really truly become friends or would there always be an invisible barrier between them?
This would have been seen as pretty revolutioary when it was first written in 1924 and many people today probably feel that the central message is obsolete, after all we know from History about the problems that Empire rule caused all over the world and we have all heard the term Multi-Culturism bandied about by politicians and News organisations. IMHO most of those people are missing the point and that the central message is still relevant today. The only difference being that it is more about people of differing nationalities settling in Britain rather than the British settling abroad.
For me this was a very enjoyable and thought provoking read and I look forward to reading some of Forster's other works
Released 10 yrs ago (1/17/2014 UTC) at Furness Vale, Derbyshire United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Being sent out as part of a wishlist tag thread. Enjoy!
Thank you for sending this wishlist tag book!
I enjoyed this book, especially the dry humour and the astonishing use of language. The English characters did not come out well, and this was clearly the intention of the author. I don't know if any other nations have, or have had, such tedious mannerisms and notions of morals and what is appropriate, the caricaturing is really spot on! These attitudes to strangers or foreigners still exist, even though thankfully the imperial days of Great Britain are over.
I would consider this book essential reading.
I would consider this book essential reading.
Journal Entry 6 by Blue_berry at -- Somewhere in London 🤷♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, February 29, 2016
Released 8 yrs ago (2/29/2016 UTC) at -- Somewhere in London 🤷♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to Olivia_Lo as part of One-book-a-month draw. Enjoy!
The book has arrived today. Thank you for the RABCK!
Mail is finally open from Taiwan to Germany! This is for one of my RABCKs, although I can't remember which one haha.
The book made an express journey to Germany. Thanks a lot Olivia_Lo!
