The Longest Journey is a bildungsroman by E. M. Forster, first published in 1907. It is the second of Forster's six published novels, following Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905) and preceding A Room with a View (1908) and Howards End (1910). It was Forster's favourite among his own novels. Forster mapped out a loose plot in July 1904 after meeting a shepherd boy whilst walking in Wiltshire. He spent the first half of 1906 working on the novel. Returning to Weybridge from abroad in October 1906, Forster worked to complete it. Critically The Longest Journey is the most polarizing of Forster's novels. The novel was well-reviewed but had disappointing sales when first released; it is most often viewed as a minor work compared to Forster's later novels. However, even in Forster's lifetime there was reassessment of the novel's quality, with literary critic Lionel Trilling calling it "...perhaps the most brilliant, the most dramatic, and the most passionate of his works." According to Margaret Drabble both the structure and the uncharacteristically high death count which occurs later in the book confuse fans of Forster's. Gilbert Adair wrote that the greatest weaknesses for readers is its "unrelenting intellectuality, its sublimation and even outright repression of the importance of the erotic in human relationships" and the "...not always intentional priggishness of its characters", which he saw as constituting a poignant quality. (wikipedia.org)
E M Forster
E. M. Forster (1879-1970) was an English novelist known for his exploration of class differences and human relationships. His most notable works include "A Room with a View," "Howards End," and "A Passage to India." Forster's writing style is characterized by its clarity, wit, and insight into the complexities of human emotions. He is credited with portraying the inner lives of his characters with sensitivity and depth. Forster's contributions to literature include his exploration of themes such as imperialism, social injustice, and the struggle for personal freedom. His most famous work, "A Passage to India," is considered a masterpiece of modernist literature and continues to be studied and celebrated for its poignant portrayal of the clash between British colonizers and Indian natives. Forster's work has had a lasting impact on the literary genre of the novel, influencing generations of writers with his thoughtful exploration of the human experience.
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