Classics · ThoughtfulThree families, the Wilcoxes, Schlegels and Basts, cross paths in Edwardian England across class lines
Howards End
Three English families of different classes come together around a country house
The novel follows three families of different social classes: the wealthy Wilcoxes, the intellectual Schlegel siblings Margaret, Helen and Tibby, and the impoverished Basts. It is set in Edwardian England, mainly in London and at the country house Howards End, with earlier scenes in Germany. The Schlegels try to help the Basts and challenge the Wilcoxes' prejudices. Edward Arnold published it in London on 18 October 1910.
More about this book
Who
Margaret, Helen and Tibby Schlegel, Henry, Ruth and Charles Wilcox, and Leonard and Jacky Bast.
World
London, the house Howards End, and earlier scenes in Germany, in Edwardian England.
What makes it different
Forster based the house on Rooks Nest, his Hertfordshire childhood home. Its epigraph is "Only connect."
Feel
Thoughtful and humane.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Howards EndWikipedia