What is A Room With A View about? Essay example -- English Literature

What is A Room With A View about, in your opinion? What methods does E.M. Forster use to convey this message to the reader? A Room With A View is about the social change occurring in England in the early 20th century, post Queen Victoria's death. Darwin had just published his book on the theory of evolution which was the catalyst for the introduction of more liberal and secular ideas into a conservative and religious England. In order to explain this process of change, Forster likens it to the Renaissance, which is why it is significant that A Room With A View begins in Italy. The problem with a rapidly changing society is that members of that society do not necessarily know how to behave because the boundaries are changing and this is what Forster is trying to portray in A Room With A View. Every character in the novel can be categorised into one of two groups, the Victorian/Medieval characters and the 20th Century/Renaissance characters. Certain characters symbolise different periods. However, Forster is skilful enough to make these characters realistic which is why they are capable of contradiction; for quite a few characters, the reader believes that they belong to one of these groups but then their behaviour is suddenly contrary to that group thus confusing the reader as to what period they symbolise. For example Miss Bartlett is immediately perceived by the reader as a 'Victorian' because in the first chapter she refuses Mr Emerson's generosity because she feels it would be improper to accept. However at the end of the novel, the reader is made aware that Miss Bartlett purposefully does not interrupt a conversation between Lucy and Mr Emerson, perfectly aware that he could persuade Lucy to admi... ...es, where people believed in love, but despise those defied convention to marry for love. His novel is successful at doing this because it glorifies passion and impulsiveness; he mocks those symbolising convention such as Cecil, Mr Eager and Miss Bartlett and endorses those that represent love and liberalisation. Cecil doesn't just represent convention he also represents 'culture'. Lucy and George marry in the end to everyone's surprise because it is Forster's hope to encourage romance. Although Forster's novel is dealing with specific events occurring in English history it never the less remains a novel which is still enjoyed today because it deals with the universal theme that love conquers all. The characters are creations that live today just as they did as when the novel was first published, because they are so realistic and familiar to the reader.