Passage to India, a (Maxnotes Literature Guides)

by English Literature Study Guides and Ann Wood

REA's MAXnotes for E. M. Forster's A Passage to India MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0878910395
• ISBN13: 9780878910397
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.2" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

Exiles All

First of all, I'd like to commend the reviewer G.B. Talovich (in the Spotlight Reviews as I write this) for his analysis of the archetype underpinnings of the novel. It made me reconsider the novel as a whole and appreciate it all the more. A Passage to India was written in 1924 and it bears similarities to some of Forster's literary contemporaries, most notably Orwell's Burmese Days and the short stories of Somerset Maugham. Here we have India, ancient, diverse, plagued with ancient schisms, a "muddle", under the authoricratic rule of colonial Britain. The British portrayed here conform to the rule: stuffy and prejudiced, with no love for their foreign station, maintaining a thin veneer of the Victorian role - to keep themselves "proper", warding away the dust and sweat and sweltering heat of an exoticism they can never truly understand, nor wish to incorporate. It's all about tennis and tea-time and the Club. As a contrast to these rigid expatriates, Forster introduces two arrivals, Mrs. Moore and Ms. Quested, initially starry-eyed and curious about the subcontinent, willing to taste the culture - if only taste, and nothing more - to satisfy the instinct for romance and adventure. This leads them into contact with the Muslim Dr. Aziz, who promises to show them India and ends up doing so more than any of them wish; "that incident at the Marabar Caves" results in explosively exposing the dichotomy of social conduct and temperament between disparate cultures, the superiority-wound ever-festering beneath the Western mandate to civilize and the East's own long-standing hierarchy establishment. To wit: "It was, in a new form, the old, old trouble that eats the heart out of every civilization: snobbery, the desire for possessions, creditable appendages; and it is to escape this rather than the lusts of the flesh that saints retreat into the Himalayas. (chapter 26 pg 235, old penguin edition)" At first I was a bit puzzled by Forster's approach, but as I read on it dawned on me that the author was displaying not just the discomfort and isolation of the British, but that of Aziz as well. As a Muslim, he is forced to inhabit three worlds: that of the dominant Hindu population, that of the snooty colonials and, deep within, that of his own faith and culture, marginalized by sheer population. Victimized as much by his own people as by the judgment-cry of the West, he eventually chooses exile, augmented in the final section `Temple'. The `Author's Voice' character, the atheist and open-minded Fielding, also capitulates to the home-town creed by the end of the novel, sacrificing his freedom for the reward of security, the buffer against the exile's loneliness, and his final meeting with Aziz - in which the earth itself seems to grumble that reconciliation between East and West cannot yet happen - is more powerful because of where these two characters have gone and what they have, in effect, given up due to outward pressures. A Passage to India i

We'll never know what happened in the Marabar Caves...

A classic that kids shouldn't be assigned to read in 10th grade, as I was. I truly hated this book, didn't understand it at all, at all. The symbolism, the racism, the class system, the whole period of the British raj - it all went right over my head. Then, to discover it in adulthood! Well, it was an awakening. It was as if I'd never read it before, and indeed on most levels, I hadn't. What really happened in the Marabar Caves? Was it an assault? A dream or hallucination? An actual rape? Nothing? A case of mistaken identity? This mystery, unanswered at the end, lies at the heart of A Passage to India. We have Muslims, Hindus, and the British Christians mixing within the society. Dr. Aziz is a good and gentle man, a friendly, open-minded, highly educated Indian who is eventually accused of assaulting a British women - and that sort of thing doesn't go over well with the high-mucky-mucky of the era. According to the political sensitivities of the era (1920s), there's always bound to be trouble when you mix the races within society.Passage to India presents British colonialism at its worst with a marvelous and deeply-layered cast of characters. This is probably Forster's best book.

Extraordinary Classic

I've read and enjoyed several Forster books, but "A Passage to India" tops them all. The plot concerns the arrival in Chandrapore, India of Ms. Quested and her potential mother-in-law, Mrs. Moore. They come to visit Mrs. Moore's son, Ronny, who is engaged to Ms. Quested. Ms. Quested and Mrs. Moore are the typical new arrivals, and they desire to see more of the "real" India than they can see with their fellow Brits, who tend to gather in the state Club and socialize only with each other. They become involved with Dr. Aziz, a local Indian physician, who promises to show them the famous, nearby Marabar caves. Dr. Aziz is solicitous toward the Brits and craves their friendship, but he clearly has negative feelings toward them also. At the Marabar caves, an incident occurs (or does not occur) to Ms. Quested that alters all of the characters and their town inextricably. There is a trial and a bit of a mystery, but the focus is always on the characters and their conflicts. In particular, the tension between the English and the people of India is beautifully portrayed. The characters are multi-dimensional, as are their motives, which makes for a fascinating read. I found the book to be quite moving and sad - a true classic.

A masterpiece.

This is book is incredible, and one of my personal favorites. Its beauty is too easily overlooked, because it is so elegantly subtle. Every aspect of the storytelling is masterful: the prose is lush and nuanced, and every character is exquisitely drawn. Drawing from the slimmest of plots, Forster weaves what seems to be an isolated incident into a complex tapestry of emotion. The central focus are the characters, who are sharply realistic and utterly, utterly human. Another aspect that I liked very much is that it takes an era, the British Raj in India, which is otherwise interpreted only with the most hotly colored emotions, and presents it with a marked neutrality, presenting it only through the eyes of the characters. A marvelous read.

Forster's Best Work, a masterpiece on so many levels

E.M. Forsters book "A passage to India" is indeed one of the best books I have ever read in my life. Forster shows great skill in bringing the tragic tale of an attempted friendship between Aziz and Fielding.The book revolves around what may be termed the secret understanding of the heart. This is an understanding of people, their feelings and their interaction with other humans. In a story which is not primarily political, Forster makes a political comment on what was happening in India at that time. The issue of the Marabar caves is not really an issue at all because even Forster says that it doesn't really matter what if anything happened in the caves, because it is the repercussions of what did of didn't happen that are important. I believe that the expedition into the Marabar caves merely amplified the emotions already inherent in the characters, for example Adela Quested tells us that she felt unwell since the teaparty with Fielding which took place long before the journey to the caves.Forster also presents us with well rounded characters except in the case of the Anglo-Indians, who are presented as tyrannical oppressors, and yet even they aren't all bad as they stand for values like honour and chivalry. What really annoys me about the Anglo-Indians is their high and mighty attitude, and pompous ways.I feel Forster uses character like Fielding, Moore, Godbole and Aziz to show us about true humanity.He doesn't pretend to understand India, it is a 'muddle' but through India he brings universal quandries and boundries to light.I recommend you read and reread this book as it is undoubtedly one of the best in english literature.