Jan 31, 2004 11:01 AM
2670 Views
(Updated Jan 31, 2004 12:22 PM)
I read A Room With A View after I had seen the wonderful movie version by Merchant-Ivory. Each scene, therefore is vivid in my mind. An old favourite, I return often to this corset classic, set in turn of the century England and Florence.
It is a pleasure to read this book, with its simple yet though-provoking story, its fine characterization and subtle humour. Many of us may have encountered Forster in English textbooks. He was a novelist par excellence and while not a prolific writer, his few works have a great deal to offer.
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A view, a view!
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The story begins in picturesque Florence. The main protagonist, Lucy Honeychurch, an attractive young English girl and her middle-aged chaperon, Miss Bartlett are on holiday. Lucy is described as having a 'quantity of dark hair and a very pretty, pale, undeveloped face' with a passion for music, especially Beethoven. A quiet, subdued sort of girl, there are still undercurrents of passion in her, revealed best while playing on the piano ''If Miss Honeychurch ever takes to live as she plays, it will be very exciting both for us and for her.''
Stopping over at a boarding house (Pensione) in Florence, they are dismayed to discover that the rooms that they have been allotted have no views to offer. Miss Bartlett, a woman of Victorian sensibilities is deeply shocked when a gentleman sitting at their table, Mr. Emerson, leans across and offers them his and his son's rooms.
Shocked because they have not been properly introduced and it offends her sense of propriety to be beholden to strangers, especially men. Lucy on the other hand does not quite understand her cousin's notions of propriety, but decorum and her upbringing, which dictates a certain code of conduct, does not allow her to say anything. However, an old acquaintance of theirs, who happens to be in the same Pensione convinces them that there is no harm in accepting the kind offer. And so Lucy gets her view.
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The kiss
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Over the next few days, Lucy is thrown into close contact with the younger Emerson, George. Socially her inferior, she finds herself drawn to him. He is not a typical romantic ideal, chivalrous and cultured or even blunt and manly, but sensitive, intelligent and intuitive. He is obviously attracted to her but does not attempt to woo her in the conventional sense; his feelings run too deep. Things come to a head at an excursion a few days later to Fiesole. As Lucy walks through fields of violets, she chances upon George. They are alone. A more chivalrous man might have left it that. So might a man who feels less. But George of course seizes the moment and kisses her.
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The furore
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As luck would have it, they are seen by Miss Bartlett. Before Lucy has time to reflect or examine her own emotions, Miss Bartlett swoops down in righteous indignation and whisks her away. To her, it is unthinkable that Lucy might have even felt the remotest bit of attraction for someone so obviously her inferior. They leave Italy shortly after.
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Getting engaged
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Once in England, Lucy gets engaged to Cecil Wyse, a young 'gentleman of leisure and means'. Well off, good-looking in a conventional way and well read, he is considered to be a quite a catch. In reality, however, he is well intentioned but stuffy, effete and fastidious. He imagines he is in love with Lucy, but he is more in love with his idealised perception of her. He pays her extravagant compliments but cannot kiss her without making a clumsy mess of it all. A minor sin, of course, but his fastidiousness leads him to be contemptuous of all the people around Lucy, who do not live up to his expectation.
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Re-enter George
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At this point, the Emersons land up in Lucy's village as tenants. George's spontaneity and sincerity play off against Cecil's pompousness. And Lucy has to choose between what feels right to her and what everyone else says is right.
Admittedly, the story of looking beyond social norms is one that has been told before and will undoubtedly be told again. But what makes A Room With A View unique is the conflict that Lucy herself faces. Her heart tells her to go with George, but that is something she just won't admit to herself. There is no easy reconciliation, and the road ahead for Lucy is hard undoubtedly. However, Forster's light and easy touch ensures that the book doesn't at any point become depressing.
A note on the movie. The casting was brilliant with Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy, Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil Wyse and Julian Sands as George Emerson. Dame Maggie Smith excels as the repressed Miss Bartlett. I think A Room With A View should be sold as double pack - a copy of the movie and a copy of the book together. Both are excellent, though the book wins by a whisker, as books usually do.
Subtle, but far from simple. That is A Room With A View in a nutshell.
