Summary of Howards End
Set in Edwardian England (the first decade of the 20th century), “Howards End” tells the story of Margaret and Helen Schlegel, two idealistic sisters from an intellectual, cultured family. They become acquainted with the Wilcoxes, a wealthy family of capitalists, and their lives grow increasingly entangled. The novel explores the sisters’ contrasting relationships with the Wilcoxes, and their attempts to help Leonard Bast, a struggling clerk, and his partner Jacky. When Henry Wilcox advises Leonard to leave his job on the grounds that his employer’s firm is about to fail – a prediction that proves unfounded – Leonard and Jacky are driven into poverty, straining relations between Helen and the Wilcoxes. Matters become still more complex when Ruth Wilcox, the family matriarch, dies, leaving a note bequeathing her country home, Howards End, to Margaret. Henry and his children destroy the note, but when Henry later proposes to Margaret, tensions between the families escalate further.
Reasons to read Howards End
“Howards End” offers a powerful portrait of early 20th-century Britain, a society shaped by wealth and class divisions. Widely regarded as a classic of English literature and Forster’s masterpiece, the novel is a subtle yet compelling critique of social convention and moral compromise. E.M. Forster, one of the most distinguished English novelists of his time, also wrote “A Room with a View” and “A Passage to India”. “Howards End” has been adapted several times for stage and screen, most famously in the 1992 film starring Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Setting: Hertfordshire (England, UK)
The fictional Howards End is thought to be inspired by Rooks Nest House, near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Forster’s childhood home.
Original title: Howards End
Year of publication: 1910
Nr of pages: 408
