I'M SERVING: CRUMPETS AND JAM
Howards End (no apostrophe, BTW) is one of those books that's kind of like green vegetables when you're a kid. You know it'll be good for you, but you're not sure you want to get that involved. To be honest, it took me a while to get into it. The group agreed that the themes of the book ring true. The Schlegels and Wilcoxes (and to a lesser extent, the Basts) represent three major types of Edwardian era Englishmen: the Intellectuals, the Rich, and the Working Class. Which of these groups will inherit England?
According to the book, none--and yet all. Along the way, plenty of commentary on music, the role of art in life, love, family, and permanence. One drawback I found was having seen the Oscar-nominated film years ago. I couldn't fix mental pictures of the characters because they had already been taken over by Anthony Hopkins (Henry Wilcox), Emma Thompson (Margaret Schlegel), and Helena Bonham Carter (Helen Schlegel). Somehow, I think viewing the film afterward would have been better, although it was a very close adaptation.
I know I ought to love it, but I don't. Okay, but not an experience I'm likely to repeat. Guess Forster's not my forte.
0 comments:
Post a Comment