MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Read-Along: A Passage to India

vivaldirules · 10-12-2008, 11:30 AM

For those on the fence about reading this book, here's a portion of the forward from the Rosetta Books edition:

Forster's 1924 masterpiece, A Passage to India, is a novel about preconceptions and misconceptions and the desire to overcome the barrier that divides East and West in colonial India. It shows the limits of liberal tolerance, good intentions, and good will in sorting out the common problems that exist between two very different cultures. Forster's famous phrase "only connect", stresses the need for human beings to overcome their hesitancy and prejudices and work towards realizing affection and tolerance in their relations with others. But when he turned to colonial India, where the English and the Indians stare at each other across a cultural divide and a history of imbalanced power relations, mutual suspicion, and ill work, Forster wonders whether connection is even possible.

I find it interesting (well, I saw the movie long ago; haven't read it yet) because the characters all want to accept the differences of others and make real efforts to connect with them. This is not a morality play but something much more interesting.

Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_to_india

Oh, and there will be a test at the end of November (no, there won't): http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/passage/quiz.html

10-12-2008, 11:30 AM	#21
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	For those on the fence about reading this book, here's a portion of the forward from the Rosetta Books edition: Forster's 1924 masterpiece, A Passage to India, is a novel about preconceptions and misconceptions and the desire to overcome the barrier that divides East and West in colonial India. It shows the limits of liberal tolerance, good intentions, and good will in sorting out the common problems that exist between two very different cultures. Forster's famous phrase "only connect", stresses the need for human beings to overcome their hesitancy and prejudices and work towards realizing affection and tolerance in their relations with others. But when he turned to colonial India, where the English and the Indians stare at each other across a cultural divide and a history of imbalanced power relations, mutual suspicion, and ill work, Forster wonders whether connection is even possible. I find it interesting (well, I saw the movie long ago; haven't read it yet) because the characters all want to accept the differences of others and make real efforts to connect with them. This is not a morality play but something much more interesting. Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_to_india Oh, and there will be a test at the end of November (no, there won't): http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/passage/quiz.html