 | Price Comparisons: Rental | | Sorry, the textbook you were looking for is not available as Rental, at any of the stores we searched. | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | What really happened in the Marabar caves? This is the mystery at the heart of E.M. Forster's 1924 novel, A Passage to India, the puzzle that sets in motion events highlighting an even larger question: Can an Englishman and an Indian be friends? "It is impossible here," an Indian character tells his friend, Dr. Aziz, early in the novel. "They come out intending to be gentlemen, and are told it will not do.... Why, I remember when Turton came out first. It was in another part of the Province. You fellows will not believe me, but I have driven with Turton in his carriage--Turton! Oh yes, we were once quite intimate. He has shown me his stamp collection. "He would expect you to steal it now. Turton! But red-nosed boy will be far worse than Turton! "I do not think so. They all become exactly the same, not worse, not better. I give any Englishman two years, be he Turton or Burton. It is only the difference of a letter. And I give any Englishwoman six months. All are exactly alike." Written while England was still firmly in control of India, Forster's novel follows the fortunes of three English newcomers to India--Miss Adela Quested, Mrs. Moore, and Cyril Fielding--and the Indian, Dr. Aziz, with whom they cross destinies. The idea of true friendship between the races was a radical one in Forster's time, and he makes it abundantly clear that it was not one that either side welcomed. If Aziz's friend, Hamidullah, believed it impossible, the British representatives of the Raj were equally discouraging. "Why, the kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die," said Mrs. Callendar.
"How if he went to heaven?" asked Mrs. Moore, with a gentle but crooked smile.
"He can go where he likes as long as he doesn't come near me. They give me the creeps." Despite their countrymen's disapproval, Miss Quested, Mrs. Moore, and Mr. Fielding are all eager to meet Indians, and in Dr. Aziz they find a perfect companion: educated, westernized, and open-minded. Slowly, the friendships ripen, especially between Aziz and Fielding. Having created the possibility of esteem based on trust and mutual affection, Forster then subjects it to the crucible of racial hatred: during a visit to the famed Marabar caves, Miss Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of sexually assaulting her, then later recants during the frenzied trial that follows. Under such circumstances, affection proves to be a very fragile commodity indeed. Arguably Forster's greatest novel, A Passage to India limns a troubling portrait of colonialism at its worst, and is remarkable for the complexity of its characters. Here the personal becomes the political and in the breach between Aziz and his English "friends," Forster foreshadows the eventual end of the Raj. --Alix Wilber |
Average Customer Rating:    Interesting but not convincing I enjoyed the book; I found myself engrossed in the story and eager to find out the ending. The 3 stars are more for character development. Very few of the characters, or their relationships, were believable to me. An example: Aziz develops a deep affection and respect for Mrs. Moore -- feelings important to the overall plot -- however, they have only met maybe 3? times. Ok, maybe Aziz is an open-hearted man but Mrs. Moore's son also says Mrs. Moore 'loved' Aziz. For me, it required the willing suspension of disbelief. Miss Quested's revelation about the case was surprising and not well explained. Convenient, it seemed. Even Aziz's and Fielding's friendship suddenly existed without much foundation amid a great deal of misunderstanding and awkwardness.
However, the picture the book paints of colonial India and the behavior of the British was fascinating. I felt despair on behalf of Aziz and intense frustration and dislike of the ruling British. The book certainly transported me, despite the issues I have with it. "Oh dear. East and West: so misleading" Seeking to fill some gaps in my literary education, I was referred to Forster's _A Passage to India_. It is a marvelous: beautifully written, and ahead of its time. Set in India at the zenith of British colonialism there, the fortunes of three Britons and an Indian cross. Miss Quested, a newcomer, wishes to see "the real India" in spite of her countrymen's disapproval. Taken, along with Mrs. Moore (also a new arrival) and Mr. Fielding by their Indian guide, Dr. Aziz, an incident occurs in the Marabar Caves that is never very clear; whatever happened (or did not), Miss Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of sexual assault.
The heart of the story isn't the accusation, nor its resolution. Rather, it is the subtle layers of misunderstandings, miscues and mistrust between Indian and Englishman, and even between Hindu and Muslim in India. The nuance and perspective Forster provides is simply sublime - the arrogance of the imperialist British, the anger and bitterness by Hindu and Muslim towards their occupier, and the mututal mistrust between Indian Muslims and Hindus is brilliantly illustrated. That what precisely happened in the caves is never wholly resolved allows the reader to insert themselves (and their respective prejudices and perspectives) into the story.
What particularly resonated with me (beyond the marvelous prose and variety of honest perspective through his characters) was how far ahead of his time Forster was. At the close of the book, Aziz - a western-educated physician (and therefore a "safe" Indian in the eyes of the British prior to the accusation against him) has a conversation with Fielding, his erstwhile friend, in which Aziz remarks, "Until England is in difficulties, we will keep silent, but in the next European war - aha, aha! Then is our time! ... India shall be a nation! No foreigners of any sort! Hindu and Moslem and Sikh and all shall be one! Hurrah! Hurrah for India! ... and then (half kissing Fielding) you and I shall be friends." This, written in 1924 - almost a full generation before India's independence. But it is not only Forster's prediction eerie, but his unabashed anti-imperialist voice suprised me.
This book rightfully belongs among the century's greatest works for the skill and beauty of the author's way with words as for his sentiments. Highly recommended. excellent book; poor Kindle edition I won't add to the other positive comments about this book. It's wonderfully written. But the formatting on Kindle is deployable. In particular, the paragraphs breaks are hard to discern, making it difficult to know who is speaking.I hope the publisher will update the book to make it a better Kindle read. A Passage of Impasse E.M. Forster is truly one of the giants of early modern literature with his novels that bridge the gap between the traditional and the much looser modern forms. "A Passage to India" was the last book published in his lifetime, the concluding chapter in a brilliant career centered around a handful of novels. It makes one wonder if Forster had felt used up after the subjects he tackles in "A Passage to India" or if he felt that he could do no better.
"A Passage to India" is set at the peak of the British colonial era and is rife with the racial tension that lurks beneath every mean aspect of daily life. It is the tale of various characters. One of the main characters is Dr. Aziz, a Moslem Indian who desperately wants to befriend certain English people but knows he may be overstepping his bounds. One Englishman he successfully befriends, for a while, is Mr. Fielding, the principal of the local school who seems not to have developed the racist attitudes of the other English people who dwell in Chandrapore. It is also the tale of two visiting women - Mrs. Moore, an old Christian lady who innocently befriends Dr. Aziz by accident. She has brought with her Adela Quested, a young woman eager to see the "real" India who finds that she will not do so if she agrees to marry Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny. In an attempt to bridge the gap between the races, Dr. Aziz sets in motion a series of events that will have near-fatal consequences for himself as well as those he tries to befriend.
Forster had a rare gift for storytelling that is natural and unforced. His writing is a mix of subtle humor and astute observations about human nature, raising questions of philosophy and religion in an attempt to ponder the nature of racism that bored so deep a root in British colonial India. What is remarkable about "A Passage to India" is that while it is set in a very concrete time and place, the themes it raises transcend time and offer some insight into present conflicts. It is easy to see why "A Passage to India" is considered to be one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, for Forster was at his peak form in this eloquent ode to the impossibilities and the improbabilities of friendship. One of the great books There is little I can say in this review that can't be found in other reviews: many readers have provided good summations of the plot, as well as appreciative commentary on Forster's prose, in their reviews of this novel. And, of course, there is the usual griping from students for whom " A Passage of India" is required reading. I can only offer this bit of perspective. Once, a few decades ago, the novel was required reading for me, too, and I recall liking it well enough to want to see the film when it came out. Then, "A Passage to India" gathered dust on my shelves for quite a while. Recently, I picked it up again, wondering how a novel published in 1924 would hold up, especially compared to some of the fine novels about India that have been published in the last decade: Mistry's "A Fine Balance," Adiga's "The White Tiger, Roy's "The God of Small Things, Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss," among others.
It held up. I enjoyed it thoroughly, probably more than the first time I read it. So if it has been a long time since you read" A Passage to India," pick it up again. And if you're at student struggling to appreciate it, finish the novel and put it away for a few decades. You'll like it better the second time. "A Passage to India" is one of those great books that, like Conrad's " Heart of Darkness," is indispensable to an understanding of imperialism |  |
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