230644 English Literature in Transition: E.M. Forster (S) (SoSe 2025)

The first decade of the twentieth century, the Edwardian era, was a period of transition in British (literary) history. While Britain was still at its colonial height as the greatest world power and the hitherto unparalleled destruction of the ‘Great War’ was yet to come, Edwardian England can also be read as a period of conflict and accumulating crisis. The period’s transitional character also becomes evident in cultural products as Edwardian realism works between well-established (late-)Victorian conventions and the early stirrings of modernity and Modernism.
In this seminar, we will explore the period’s ambivalent character through the writings of E. M. Foster, one of the most acclaimed authors of the 20th century. We will begin by focusing on Howards End (1910), an Edwardian version of the condition-of-England novel, before turning to Matthew Lopez’s play The Inheritance (2018), loosely based on the characters and plot of Howards End. Reading the texts alongside and against each other, we will address questions of realism, social class, money, heritage, sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

Requirements for participation, required level

Students should be well-acquainted with the basics of literary studies; they should be able to analyse and interpret Anglophone literary texts by drawing on the genre-specific analytical categories. This knowledge and expertise is usually acquired through the successful completion of a B.A. degree and/or "Module 1: Key Academic Skills".

Bibliography

Students are expected to bring to class their own copies of the following texts:
E.M. Forster, Howards End (1910) - preferably in a well-annotated edition, e.g. Penguin.
Matthew Lopez, The Inheritance (2018)

Further material will be made available.