Other editions of book Howards End

In Howard's End, E.M. Forster unveils the English character as never before, exploring the underlying class warfare involving three distinct groups--a wealthy family bound by the rules of tradition and property, two independent, cultured sisters, and a young man living on the edge of poverty. The source of their conflict--Howards End, a house in the countryside which ultimately becomes a symbol of conflict within British society.

Reflecting Forster's view of the moral and emotional weaknesses of the English upper class, this novel deals with a country house called Howards End and its influence on the lives of the wealthy and materialistic Wilcoxes; the cultured, idealistic Schlegel sisters; and the poor bank clerk Leonard Bast. Illustrating Forster's key aphorism, "Only connect," it brings together people from different classes and nations through sympathetic insight and understanding. As Lionel Trilling noted, it "eloquently addresses the question 'Who shall inherit England?'"