A room with a view is precisely what the novel's heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, does not receive upon her arrival at the Pensione Bertolini in Florence. Both Lucy and her spinster cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, were promised south rooms with views of the Arno during their Italian holiday, but find themselves in disappointing north rooms overlooking a courtyard. This seemingly banal dilemma propels a satirical examination of the English tourist and, more broadly, the rigidly class-based nature of Edwardian English society.
‍
We're first introduced to Mr. Emerson, outspoken socialist, and his pensive adult son George when they offer to swap their south-facing rooms with those of Lucy and Charlotte. This gesture, though kind, is indecorous and accepted only after much deliberation. While the Emersons are outside of Lucy's social strata, she can't help being sympathetic to them—and even falling in love with George. Lucy's time in Florence not only exposes her to an assortment of colorful characters, but awakens her to a vibrant, passionate mode of living. As a result, she's left questioning the conventional middle-class life that awaits her in England with her terminally dull fiancé Cecil.
‍
As my first E.M. Forster read, A Room with a View was a delightful experience. From the hilarity of characters like Charlotte (repressed and prone to feigning unselfishness, while practicing none of the sort) to strikingly romantic imagery (violet-covered fields, bathing in the Sacred Lake), it's no surprise that the novel is one of Forster's most beloved.
A room with a view is precisely what the novel's heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, does not receive upon her arrival at the Pensione Bertolini in Florence. Both Lucy and her spinster cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, were promised south rooms with views of the Arno during their Italian holiday, but find themselves in disappointing north rooms overlooking a courtyard. This seemingly banal dilemma propels a satirical examination of the English tourist and, more broadly, the rigidly class-based nature of Edwardian English society.
‍
We're first introduced to Mr. Emerson, outspoken socialist, and his pensive adult son George when they offer to swap their south-facing rooms with those of Lucy and Charlotte. This gesture, though kind, is indecorous and accepted only after much deliberation. While the Emersons are outside of Lucy's social strata, she can't help being sympathetic to them—and even falling in love with George. Lucy's time in Florence not only exposes her to an assortment of colorful characters, but awakens her to a vibrant, passionate mode of living. As a result, she's left questioning the conventional middle-class life that awaits her in England with her terminally dull fiancé Cecil.
‍
As my first E.M. Forster read, A Room with a View was a delightful experience. From the hilarity of characters like Charlotte (repressed and prone to feigning unselfishness, while practicing none of the sort) to strikingly romantic imagery (violet-covered fields, bathing in the Sacred Lake), it's no surprise that the novel is one of Forster's most beloved.
A room with a view is precisely what the novel's heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, does not receive upon her arrival at the Pensione Bertolini in Florence. Both Lucy and her spinster cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, were promised south rooms with views of the Arno during their Italian holiday, but find themselves in disappointing north rooms overlooking a courtyard. This seemingly banal dilemma propels a satirical examination of the English tourist and, more broadly, the rigidly class-based nature of Edwardian English society.
‍
We're first introduced to Mr. Emerson, outspoken socialist, and his pensive adult son George when they offer to swap their south-facing rooms with those of Lucy and Charlotte. This gesture, though kind, is indecorous and accepted only after much deliberation. While the Emersons are outside of Lucy's social strata, she can't help being sympathetic to them—and even falling in love with George. Lucy's time in Florence not only exposes her to an assortment of colorful characters, but awakens her to a vibrant, passionate mode of living. As a result, she's left questioning the conventional middle-class life that awaits her in England with her terminally dull fiancé Cecil.
‍
As my first E.M. Forster read, A Room with a View was a delightful experience. From the hilarity of characters like Charlotte (repressed and prone to feigning unselfishness, while practicing none of the sort) to strikingly romantic imagery (violet-covered fields, bathing in the Sacred Lake), it's no surprise that the novel is one of Forster's most beloved.
A room with a view is precisely what the novel's heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, does not receive upon her arrival at the Pensione Bertolini in Florence. Both Lucy and her spinster cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, were promised south rooms with views of the Arno during their Italian holiday, but find themselves in disappointing north rooms overlooking a courtyard. This seemingly banal dilemma propels a satirical examination of the English tourist and, more broadly, the rigidly class-based nature of Edwardian English society.
‍
We're first introduced to Mr. Emerson, outspoken socialist, and his pensive adult son George when they offer to swap their south-facing rooms with those of Lucy and Charlotte. This gesture, though kind, is indecorous and accepted only after much deliberation. While the Emersons are outside of Lucy's social strata, she can't help being sympathetic to them—and even falling in love with George. Lucy's time in Florence not only exposes her to an assortment of colorful characters, but awakens her to a vibrant, passionate mode of living. As a result, she's left questioning the conventional middle-class life that awaits her in England with her terminally dull fiancé Cecil.
‍
As my first E.M. Forster read, A Room with a View was a delightful experience. From the hilarity of characters like Charlotte (repressed and prone to feigning unselfishness, while practicing none of the sort) to strikingly romantic imagery (violet-covered fields, bathing in the Sacred Lake), it's no surprise that the novel is one of Forster's most beloved.
A room with a view is precisely what the novel's heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, does not receive upon her arrival at the Pensione Bertolini in Florence. Both Lucy and her spinster cousin, Charlotte Bartlett, were promised south rooms with views of the Arno during their Italian holiday, but find themselves in disappointing north rooms overlooking a courtyard. This seemingly banal dilemma propels a satirical examination of the English tourist and, more broadly, the rigidly class-based nature of Edwardian English society.
‍
We're first introduced to Mr. Emerson, outspoken socialist, and his pensive adult son George when they offer to swap their south-facing rooms with those of Lucy and Charlotte. This gesture, though kind, is indecorous and accepted only after much deliberation. While the Emersons are outside of Lucy's social strata, she can't help being sympathetic to them—and even falling in love with George. Lucy's time in Florence not only exposes her to an assortment of colorful characters, but awakens her to a vibrant, passionate mode of living. As a result, she's left questioning the conventional middle-class life that awaits her in England with her terminally dull fiancé Cecil.
‍
As my first E.M. Forster read, A Room with a View was a delightful experience. From the hilarity of characters like Charlotte (repressed and prone to feigning unselfishness, while practicing none of the sort) to strikingly romantic imagery (violet-covered fields, bathing in the Sacred Lake), it's no surprise that the novel is one of Forster's most beloved.
