A Room with a View

First Edition cover
Author	E. M. Forster
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Edward Arnold
Publication date	1908
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	324 pp
ISBN	NA

A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, one of the worst writers of all time, about a young woman in the repressed culture of Edwardian England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. Room With A View is the first studio album by Canadian country music singer/songwriter Carolyn Dawn Johnson, and was released on August 7, 2001 on Arista Nashville. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Edward Morgan Forster, OM (January 1, 1879 – June 7, 1970), was an English novelist, short story writer, and essayist. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd is a British publishing house with its head office in London, United Kingdom. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... ISBN redirects here. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Edward Morgan Forster, OM (January 1, 1879 – June 7, 1970), was an English novelist, short story writer, and essayist. ... The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It is sometimes extended to include the period to the start of World War I in 1914 or even the end of the war in 1918. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, best known for its period costume dramas. ... A Room with a View is a 1986 Merchant Ivory Productions Academy Award-winning feature film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. ... // Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson Rambo: First Blood Part II, starring Sylvester Stallone Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone The Color Purple, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Adolph Caesar Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and...

Plot summary

Part one

The first part of the novel is set in Florence, Italy, and describes a young Englishwoman's confusion over her feelings for an Englishman staying at the same hotel. Lucy Honeychurch is touring Italy with her overbearing older cousin and chaperon, Charlotte Bartlett, and the novel opens with their complaints about the hotel,'The Bertolini'. Their primary concern is that although a "room with a view" has been promised to each of them, their rooms instead look over a courtyard. A Mr Emerson interrupts their "peevish wrangling", offering to swop rooms as he and his son, George Emerson, look over the Arno. This causes Miss Bartlett some consternation, this behaviour being seen as impolite. Without letting Lucy speak, Miss Bartlett refuses the offer, looking down on the Emersons because of their unconventional behaviour and thinking it would place her under an "unseemly obligation" towards them. However, another guest at the pension, an Anglican clergyman named Mr Beebe, persuades the pair to accept the offer, assuring Miss Bartlett that Mr Emerson only meant to be kind. The next day, Lucy embarks on a tour of Florence with another guest, Miss Eleanor Lavish, a woman novelist who shows Lucy the back streets of Florence, takes her Baedeker guidebook and subsequently loses her in Santa Croce, where Lucy meets the Emersons again. Although their manners are awkward and they are deemed socially unacceptable by the other guests, Lucy likes them and continues to run into them in Florence. One afternoon Lucy witnesses a murder in Florence. George Emerson happens to be nearby and catches her when she faints. As they make their way back to the hotel, they have an intimate conversation. After this, Lucy decides to avoid George, partly because she is confused by her feelings and partly to keep her cousin happy – Miss Bartlett is wary of the eccentric Emersons, particularly after a comment made by another clergyman, Mr Eager, that Mr Emerson "murdered his wife in the sight of God". However, when a party made up of Beebe, Eager, the Emersons, Miss Lavish, Miss Bartlett and Lucy Honeychurch drive to Fiesole, Lucy and George accidentally meet alone on a hillside. George is overcome by Lucy's beauty among the violets and kisses her, but they are interrupted by Lucy's cousin, who is outraged. Lucy promises Miss Bartlett that she will not tell her mother of the "insult" George has paid her because Miss Bartlett fears she will be blamed. The two women leave for Rome the next day before Lucy is able to say goodbye to George. This article is about the city in Italy. ... A chaperon (or chaperone) is an adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions usually with the specific intent of preventing inappropriate social or sexual interactions. ... Arno River in Florence, Italy The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Karl Baedeker (not Baedecker) (3 November 1801 - 4 October 1859) was a publisher whose company set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists. ... For the basilica in Florence, see Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze Santa Croce is one of the six sestieri of Venice. ... Florence as seen from Fiesole Fiesole is a town and comune (township) of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany, 43°49N 11°18E, on a famously scenic height 346 m (1140 ft) above Florence, 8 km (5 mi) NE of that city. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ...

Part two

In Rome Lucy spends time with Cecil Vyse, whom she knew in England. Cecil proposes to Lucy twice in Italy; she rejects him both times. As Part Two begins, Lucy has returned to Surrey, England to her family home, 'Windy Corner'. Cecil proposes yet again in England, and this time she accepts; returning home to Windy Corner engaged. Cecil is a sophisticated and "superior" Londoner who is eligible in terms of rank and class, even though he despises country society. This is about Surrey, England. ...

The local vicar, Mr. Beebe, announces that new tenants have leased a local cottage; the new arrivals turn out to be the Emersons. Fate takes an ironic turn as Lucy's brother Freddy befriends George and invites him to play tennis one Sunday at Windy Corner. Although Lucy is initially mortified at the thought of facing both George and Cecil (who is also visiting Windy Corner that Sunday), she resolves to be gracious. Cecil annoys everyone by reading aloud from a cheap romance novel that contains a scene suspiciously reminiscent of when George kissed Lucy in Florence. George catches Lucy alone in the garden and kisses her again. Lucy realizes that the novel is by Miss Lavish (a writer-acquaintance from Florence) and that Charlotte must thus have told her about the kiss. In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ...

Furious with Charlotte for betraying her secret, Lucy forces her cousin to watch as she tells George to leave and never return. George argues with her, saying that Cecil only sees her as an "object for the shelf" and will never love her enough to grant her independence, while George loves her for who she is. Lucy is moved but remains firm. Later that evening, after Cecil again rudely declines to play tennis, Lucy sours on Cecil and immediately breaks off her engagement. She decides to flee to Greece with friends, but shortly before her departure she accidentally encounters Mr. Emerson. He is not aware that Lucy has broken her engagement with Cecil, and Lucy cannot lie to the old man. Mr. Emerson forces Lucy to admit out loud that she has been in love with his son George all along.

The novel ends in Florence, where George and Lucy have eloped without her mother's consent. Although Lucy "had alienated Windy Corner, perhaps for ever", the story ends romantically with the promise of lifelong love for both her and George. To elope, most literally, merely means to run away. ...

Major themes

The main themes of this novel include repressed sexuality, freedom from institutional religion, growing up and true love. It is written in the third person omniscient, though particular passages are often seen "through the eyes" of a specific character. The third-person Narrative is narration in the third person. ...

A Room with a View is Forster's most romantic and optimistic book. He utilizes many of his trademark techniques, including contrasts between "round" and "flat" characters. "Round" characters are those whose ideas and inner-self develop or change in the plot, whereas "flat" characters remain constant, offering familiarity and often being a source of humour.

Published in 1908, the novel touches upon many issues surrounding society and politics in early-20th-century Edwardian culture. Stark differences between conservative and radical thinking are observed, as well as Forster's own labelled differentiation between Medieval (Mr. Beebe, Miss Bartlett, Cecil Vyse) and Renaissance characters (Lucy, the Emersons). Year 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It is sometimes extended to include the period to the start of World War I in 1914 or even the end of the war in 1918. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ...

Lucy personifies the young and impressionable generation emerging during that era, during which women's suffrage would gain strong ground. Forster, manifesting his own hopes for society, ends the book with Lucy having chosen her own path — a free life with the man she loves as opposed to marriage to a man considered more "suitable". The novel could even be called a Bildungsroman, as it follows the development of the protagonist. The term womens suffrage refers to an economic and political reform movement aimed at extending suffrage — the right to vote — to women. ... A Bildungsroman (IPA: /, German: novel of self-cultivation) is a novelistic form which concentrates on the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the protagonist usually from childhood to maturity. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ...

Binary opposites are played throughout the novel, and often there are mentions of "rooms" and "views". Characters and places associated with "rooms" are, more often than not, conservative and uncreative — Mrs Honeychurch is often pictured in a room, as is Cecil. Characters like Freddy and the Emersons, on the other hand, are often described as being "outside" — representing their open, forward-thinking and modern character types. Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ...

Also, Forster contrasts the symbolic differences between Italy and England. Forster idealized Italy as a place of freedom and sexual expression. Italy promised raw, natural passion that inspired many Britons at the time who wished to escape the constrictions of English society. While Lucy is in Italy her views of the world change dramatically, and scenes such as the murder in the piazza open her eyes to a world beyond her "protected life in Windy Corner". For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A piazza is an open square in a city, often used as a marketplace, found in Italy. ...

Allusions/references to other works

• While visiting the Emersons Mr. Beebe contemplates the numerous books strewn around.

"I fancy they know how to read — a rare accomplishment. What have they got? Byron. Exactly. A Shropshire Lad. Never heard of it. The Way of All Flesh. Never heard of it. Gibbon. Hullo! Dear George reads German. Um — um — Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and so we go on. Well, I suppose your generation knows its own business, Honeychurch." [1]

• Towards the end, Cecil quotes a few unidentified stanzas ("Come down, O maid, from yonder mountain height", etc.). They are from Tennyson's narrative poem "The Princess".

Lord Byron redirects here. ... A Shropshire Lad is a cycle of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman. ... For other uses, see The Way of All Flesh. ... Edward Gibbon (1737–1794). ... Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer (February 22, 1788 – September 21, 1860) was a German philosopher born in Gdańsk (Danzig), Poland. ... Friedrich Nietzsche, 1882 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 - August 25, 1900) was a highly influential German philosopher. ... Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and is one of the most popular English poets. ...

Film, Radio, TV or theatrical adaptations

Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985 directed by James Ivory and starring Dame Maggie Smith as "Charlotte Bartlett", Helena Bonham-Carter as "Lucy Honeychurch", Dame Judi Dench as "Eleanor Lavish", Denholm Elliott as "Mr. Emerson", Julian Sands as "George Emerson" and Simon Callow as "The Reverend Mr. Beebe". Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, best known for its period costume dramas. ... A Room with a View is a 1986 Merchant Ivory Productions Academy Award-winning feature film, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. ... // Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson Rambo: First Blood Part II, starring Sylvester Stallone Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone The Color Purple, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Adolph Caesar Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and... James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. ... Dame Maggie Smith in Gosford Park Dame Margaret Natalie Smith Cross, DBE, (born December 28, 1934 in Ilford, Essex), better known as Maggie Smith, is a British film, stage, and television actress. ... Helena Bonham Carter (born May 26, 1966; surname: Bonham Carter) is a British actress renowned for her portrayal of pre- and early 20th century female characters, particularly in Merchant Ivory films. ... Judi Dench as M in GoldenEye Dame Judi Dench (born December 9, 1934) is a renowned British stage, film and television actress. ... Elliott in The Signal-Man Denholm Mitchell Elliott (May 31, 1922 – October 6, 1992) was a distinguished British actor, well known for his appearances on stage, film and television. ... Julian Sands (born January 15, 1958) is a British actor. ... Simon Philip Hugh Callow, CBE (born June 15, 1949 in London, England) is a highly-regarded British actor of stage, film and television, and a biographer of Orson Welles and Charles Laughton. ...

BBC Radio 4 produced a four-part radio adaptation written by David Wade and directed by Glyn Dearman (released commercially as part of the BBC Radio Collection in 1995) starring Sheila Hancock as "Charlotte Bartlett", Cathy Sara as "Lucy Honeychurch", John Moffat as "Mr. Emerson", Gary Cady as "George Emerson" and Stephen Moore as "The Reverend Mr. Beebe". The production was rebroadcast on BBC7 in June 2007. old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The BBC Radio Collection was an imprint or record label used for audio books from the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... Sheila Hancock OBE (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress and comedian. ... John Moffatt (b. ... Stephen Moore (born December 11, 1937) is a British actor from Brixton, London. ... BBC 7 is a digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and childrens programming 24 hours a day. ...

In 2006, Andrew Davies announced that he was to adapt A Room with a View for ITV.^[1] This was first shown on ITV1 on 4 November 2007. It starred father and son actors Timothy and Rafe Spall as Mr Emerson and George, together with Elaine Cassidy (Lucy Honeychurch), Sophie Thompson (Charlotte Bartlett), Laurence Fox (Cecil Vyse), Sinead Cusack (Miss Lavish), Timothy West (Mr Eager) and Mark Williams (Reverend Beebe). // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... Andrew Wynford Davies (born September 20, 1936 in Rhiwbina, Cardiff, Wales) is a British screenwriter. ... A Room with a View is televised adaptation of E. M. Forsters novel, A Room with a View, written by Andrew Davies. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... Timothy Leonard Spall OBE (born February 27, 1957) is an English BAFTA award-nominated film, stage and television actor. ... Rafe Spall Rafe Joseph Spall (born 10 March 1983) is an English actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Laurence Fox (born 1978) is a British actor. ... Sinéad Cusack (born 18 February 1948 at Dalkey) is an Irish actress. ... Timothy West CBE (born October 20, 1934) is a British film, stage and television actor. ... For other persons named Mark Williams, see Mark Williams (disambiguation). ...

References

1. ^ BBC News (2006).Davies to adapt Room with a View

External links

• A Room with a View, available at Project Gutenberg.
• The text
• Plot summary and links