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From the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, the Moderns have had an almost monstrous love of the Ancients.

G.K. Chesterton, Saint Thomas Aquinas, (54)

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They lived in the same family; they were brought up in the same nursery; and they came out to struggle, as the brothers of Aquino struggled by the wayside, when they dragged the new friar along the road and shut him up in the castle on the hill.

G.K. Chesterton, Saint Thomas Aquinas, (38)

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It was not a war of nations, but it was a rather widespread family quarrel.

G.K. Chesterton, Saint Thomas Aquinas, (30)

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Greatest of all foes to the go-getting ideal, he had certainly abandoned getting, but he was still going.

G.K. Chesterton, Saint Thomas Aquinas, (6)

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In these I have erred, like the warder of the gate of Purgatory, ‘rather in opening than in keeping locked’.

Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, (2)

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Week 16 Blog

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

Pages: 210-272

Word count: 372

Summary

After Lucy breaks off her engagement with Cecil, she entangles herself in lies. She lies to herself that she doesn’t have any feelings for George. She also lies to everyone around her, Mr. Beebe, her mom, Freddy, and Charlotte. She tries to go on a trip to Greece with Ms. Alans to hide from all the craziness she has put herself into in Rome. She met Mr.Emerson at Mr.Beebe’s home. Even though she tried to lie to him she got no results from it. He showed to be very wise and that in some way he already knew that she loved George and all the excuses she was making up. Mr. Emerson convinces Lucy, and Lucy and George get married and go to Florence, where they’ve met. All Lucy’s family disapproves of her actions. But Charlotte might have had empathy for Lucy as she might have told everything that was going on to Mr. Emerson, to help her and George decide to go away together. 

Critical Analysis

I believe that the real reason Lucy said this, “You were all right as long as you kept to things, but when you came to people—(Forster)," is because she was in love with a different man, based on the fact that she was displeased with Cecil overall. Also, I believe that the real reason Lucy felt like this, “She disliked confidences, for they might lead to self-knowledge and to that king of terrors—Light. (Forster)," is because she had herself in too many conflicts at once and was scared to fix them, based on the fact that she knew there were going to be consequences as a result of the conflicts she made.

Personal Response

Overall the book was an easy read and an okay book. Even though it was written in old-English I understood most of it. I think the romance was pointless and very cliche. The author uses a lot of the characters to show the contrasts between modern society and Victorian society, and it’s clear that he approves of modern society to be better. I like the mystery that was presented at the end of Charlotte's actions. I also like the imagery of Italy presented in the book.

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She disliked confidences, for they might lead to self-knowledge and to that king of terrors—Light.

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (266)

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"I do implore absolute secrecy. A chance word to a chattering friend, and—"

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (255)

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“You were all right as long as you kept to things, but when you came to people—"

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (240)

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From a Leonardo she had become a living woman, with mysteries and forces of her own, with qualities that even eluded art.

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (224)

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Assignment #38: Symbolic Book Cover Re-design

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Week 15 Blog

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

Pages: 150-210

Word count: 426

Summary

In this part of the book, Lucy is in Rome with her family. She tries to forget what has happened to her in Florence and convince herself that she’s not in love with George. But when she gets the news that her new neighbors are going to be the Emersons she throws a tantrum. George meets with Freddy and Mr.Beebe and they go to the nearby lake where they have so much fun. Mrs.Honeychurch, Lucy, and Cecil happened to be walking near the lake and they encounter each other. There is a shock of social norms and Lucy and George meet each other unconventionally. On Sunday the Honeychurches go to church and when coming back Freddy invites George to go play tennis in their house. Lucy can’t help but giving all her attention to George and she finds Cecil intolerable as he wants to control everything and everyone the way he wants. She breaks off the engagement at night.

 Critical Analysis

I believe that based on the fact that, “Miss Lavish knew, somehow, and had printed the past in draggled prose, for Cecil to read and for George to hear.” Lucy will argue with Charlotte as she has gossiped to Miss Lavish about what happened during the trip to the countryside of Florence, and later on, will not trust Charlotte as her chaperone and will start to make her own decisions. Also, I believe that the real reason why Lucy broke off her engagement with Cecil is that she was in love with George and couldn’t stand being with Cecil, based on the fact that she broke up with Cecil right after the afternoon George was in the Honeychurch countryside house.

Personal Response

In this part of the book, the author focuses on showing readers the personalities of each character and also focus heavily to contrast George from Cecil. George is a man who is up for an adventure, Cecil, on the other hand, is a man who likes his own space and dominance. I like to see how Lucy is making decisions herself now and how independent she become. Besides the romance drama, the book also tells me a lot about society in those days. How customs were always necessary. I found the part when Charlotte wants to pay the cab very interesting. She makes a big scene because she wants to pay the bill herself. I can relate to it because in my culture we also have that customs of insisting to pay something even though people want to pay for us.

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The scales fell from Lucy's eyes. How had she stood Cecil for a moment? He was absolutely intolerable, and the same evening she broke off her engagement.

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (206)

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“Miss Lavish knew, somehow, and had printed the past in draggled prose, for Cecil to read and for George to hear.”

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (173)

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It is obvious enough for the reader to conclude, "She loves young Emerson." A reader in Lucy's place would not find it obvious. Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice, and we welcome "nerves" or any other shibboleth that will cloak our personal desire. She loved Cecil; George made her nervous; will the reader explain to her that the phrases should have been reversed?

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (173)

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"I may as well wash too"; and soon his garments made a third little pile on the sward, and he too asserted the wonder of the water.”

E.M. Foster, A Room With A View, (158)

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Week 14 Blog

A Room With a View by E.M. Forster Pages: 90-150 Word count: 420

Summary

Lucy goes on a trip with the people in the pension to the countryside. She is bored by the gossips of Ms.Charlotte and Ms.Lavish so she goes to find Mr. Beebe to talk to instead. By coincidence, she arrives at this beautiful terrace surrounded by flowers, where George also appeared. Suddenly he kissed her. Charlotte sees it as she was looking for Lucy to go back to the pension. Charlotte makes Lucy stay silent about the incident that she will take care of it for her. Both of them take the train to Rome the next morning to go to Lucy’s mother’s house. Two new characters are present Mrs. Honeychurch, Freddy, and Cecil, who is now engaged with Lucy.

Critical Analysis

The first quote, “Then the whole thing runs: ‘Dear Mrs. Vyse.—Cecil has just asked my permission about it, and I should be delighted if Lucy wishes it, and I have told Lucy so.(Forster)” It is interesting here that the author uses the word delighted when he could have said happy and meant roughly the same thing. However, delighted has a more positive connotation, which is important because it shows how Mrs. Honeychurch approved that Lucy married Cecil, a rich and popular British gentleman. The second quote, “Outside it were poverty and vulgarity for ever trying to enter, just as the London fog tries to enter the pine-woods pouring through the gaps in the northern hills. (Forster)” The author uses simile here to compare poverty and vulgarity to London fog. This comparison suggests that the poor always tries to be in the middle of the rich but will never be able to assimilate into the life of the rich.

Personal Response

I’m starting to enjoy reading this book. The last couple of chapters have built an interesting rise to a climax. It makes me think about what Lucy will do. The characters that were thrown at me in the beginning now make sense and I know who they are more effective. The reactions in this book tell a lot about the conservative manner of the century. The prejudice against the lower class is something that I found most interesting in this part of the book. How in Britain the two classes don’t mix, but in Italy, the classes are interchanged. Lucy was forced to be distanced from George but at the same time, she wanted to be distanced because of their differences in social and economic status. It’s a battle between love (George)  and status (Cecil).