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A Passage to India
E.M. Forster Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Passage to India
"E.M. Forster's A Passage to India is set at the beginning of the twentieth century, while India is still under British control. Many English officers, aristocrats, and thier upper-class families have transplanted their way of life, somewhat unsuccessfully, to the tropical Indian territory. There is a sharp divide along racial lines, with Christian-Moslem-Hindu clashes and differences in etiquette and culture adding to the tension.
The protagonist is the widowed Dr. Aziz, an idealistic, youngish Indian man who has befriended some of the occupying English. When Adele Quested, a naive and homely British woman, arrives in India to visit her fiance, Dr. Aziz feels compelled to be hospitable. He takes Adele and several other British visitors on a tour of the Marabar Caves. The caves are dark and stifling; some of the guests become disoriented. Dr. Aziz comes out of one cave to see Adele running away down the cliffs and afterward learns that she has accused him of assaulting her in the cave's darkness.
The ensuing trial of Dr. Aziz galvanizes the British and Indian populations and does terrible damage to the already strained relations between the groups. "

Jacqueline West, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Passage to India
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Inside culture (main char) - Indian (Ghandi, not Sitting Bull)
Crime & Police story Yes
Story of - wrongly accused clearing name
Culture clash? - Being oppressed by outside culture
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - Indian (Ghandi, not Sitting Bull)
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - doctor
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Indian Indian
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - India

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book


E.M. Forster Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
John Van der Kiste  

SCHOLARS:
Jacqueline West  


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