Howards End

Novel by E.M. Forster, first published in 1910. Title does not contain an apostrophe. Novel does not feature one or more Howards.

Plot Summary:

Helen and Paul kiss each other, when she is visiting the Wilcoxes at Howards End, the estate that belongs to Mrs Wilcox. Mrs Munt, after receiving a letter from Helen, where she writes about being in love with Paul, travels to Howards End immediately, but when she arrives they have already broken off their engagement and she takes Helen back home to London. At a concert the Schlegels meet Leonard Bast and by mistake Helen nicks his umbrella, so he is forced to follow them back to their home to get it back. They become to know each other and the Schlegel sister are very fond of him. The Wilcox family moves in opposite the Schlegels, which is at first awkward, because of what happened between Helen and Paul, but soon Margeret and Ruth Wilcox become good friends. Mrs Wilcox tells Margaret a lot about her beloved Howards End and they plan to go there. But they never manage to do so.

When Ruth Wilcox dies she leaves Howards End to Margeret Schlegel. Mr Wilcox and his children refuse to give away the house and so they do not tell Margqaret that she has inherited it. Meanwhile Leonard Bast loses his job. The Schlegel sister told him what they have heard from Mr Wilcox about the situation of the company he worked for and advised him to look for a new job. He did so, but when they had to reduce staff he was the first to go. Margaret and Mr Wilcox become engaged. During the wedding of Evie Wilcox, Helen turns up with Leonard and Jacky Bast, because she wants Mr Wilcox to give Leonard a new job. Margaret finds out the truth about Mr Wilcox and Jacky Bast. They had an affair and he left her. Helen then has an affair with the married Leonard Bast and leaves. After a long separation of the sisters Helen comes back to Howards End. She is pregnant. Leonard comes to Howards End. He gets into a fight with Charles Wilcox and dies. In the end Helen, her child, Margaret and her husband Henry Wilcox live together at Howards End.

Film adaptation:

Howards End film poster

Howards End was released in 1992. It was a huge success and in 1993 it received three Oscars (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction and Best Actress for Emma Thompson). James Ivory was the director of the film and it was produced by Ismail Merchant. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala wrote the screenplay. Howards End can therefore be regarded as the typical Merchant Ivory film. As Higson states: “Howards End could stand in as a pictorial signifier of everything that the heritage industry represented.”.

Margaret Schlegel was played by Emma Thompson, who won an Oscar for her performance in the film. Helena Bonham Carter was Helen Schlegel. Anthony Hopkins played the character of Henry Wilcox and Ruth Wilcox was performed by Vanessa Redgrave.

Zadie Smith's novel On Beauty (2005) transfers Howards End to contemporary times.

Sources: Forster, Edward Morgan. Howards End. Introduction and Notes by David Lodge, London: Penguin, 2000.

Higson, Andrew. English Heritage, English Cinema. Costume Drama since 1980, Oxford: OUP, 2003.

Howards End. UK 1992 (Director: James Ivory, Producer: Ismael Merchant).