Re-reading

Friday, January 29th., Chiltern Court, London.

I followed my own advice, as given to my readers in the Evening Standard, to 'take a book at random from your library and read in it'. The book I took was "Howards End" by E.M. Forster. I read this when it was first published and felt it added to Forster's reputation. Now I am not so sure. Certainly it has added to his reputation, but is it good? My experience was that as I read I found myself becoming irritated, thought of giving up, and then a phrase 'caught' me and I carried on. Only to become irritated again! Why?

For one thing it is so mannered, and we have become used to a more realistic type of fiction. And then there is the author's voice. Now, I don't mind an author's voice; I have often introduced my own voice into my fiction. But this voice felt intrusive to me. It was just a little too knowing, for example in describing a performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony I couldn't make out if he was being serious or sarcastic. And then what is all the stuff about female equality, empire building, money, cultural distinctions etc. about? If Forster is wanting to make a point about inequality, whether social or sexual, why not just make it, go straight for it, as Gissing would have done. Why write about privileged people if you want to say they are only privileged because of the poverty of the majority. Just write about the majority! And Leonard Baste. Is he a credible character? The relationship with Jackie seems contrived to me but, having contrived it, Forster doesn't seem to make much of it, when there is surely potential to advance his class theme. And I didn't get as far as the relationship between Baste and Helen, but that didn't ring true the first time.

So, I doubt I will read any more. I have much respect for Forster in spite of his observation about "The Old Wives' Tale" that "it misses greatness". That hurt a bit. Forster is ten or so years younger than me but I don't think you would realise it from his writing. As I write this I am thinking to myself that perhaps some of the criticisms I have directed at "Howards End" might equally have been made about "Imperial Palace". Perhaps. I can't say. What would Swinnerton tell me I wonder? 

Worthwhile going back to books though. Must do it more often.