Written-E. M. Forster Is An Edwardian In Point Of Time, And He Is Equally so I GMAT Reading Comprehension

M. Forster is an Edwardian in point of time, and he is equally so in spirit. His outlook on the world and his literary manner were already thoroughly developed in that epoch and have passed through the subsequent years of turbulence and cataclysm with remarkably little modification. The various modern revolutions in physics, in psychology, in politics, even in literary style, have not escaped his intelligent notice, but they can scarcely be said to have influenced him deeply. His response to the explosion of the Victorian dream of benevolent progress has been a modest and orderly retreat to safer ground—to a tolerant individualism now unmixed with Utopian dreams, but nevertheless closer to Victorian ideals than to any of the popular creeds of today. Rather than conform to bad times, Forster prefers to remind us cheerfully that his views are atavistic.

The strength of Forster's resistance to the twentieth century is especially apparent when we place him pm beside some of his fellow writers. If Joyce, Lawrence, Pound, and the early Eliot represent the main current of the modern literary movement in English, we must admit that Forster's private stream runs in an older channel. These others were radical iconoclasts whose rejection of bourgeois-democratic life was violent and shattering. Equally shattering was their fragmentation of the polite cadences of Victorian literature. In seeing the falseness of the old psychology, they conceived a scorn for the hypocrite lecteur; their role as apocalyptic prophets, as naysayers to the boredom and specious rationality of modern life, demanded that they be obscure and idiosyncratic. Forster, in contrast, unashamedly calls himself a bourgeois and remains faithful to the tradition of calm intelligibility.

He is anti-apocalyptic in both his politics and his literary sense. To some degree his novels return us to the congenial Victorian relationship between writer and reader, with its unspoken agreement over the usefulness of the sociable virtues and its apotheosis of the happy family. Though Forster's heroes struggle against "society" as a body of inhibitions, their revolt is never truly radical. And Forster's ironical style, though unsparing in its probing at shams and half-truths, presupposes a confidence in the reader's sympathy and good judgment—a confidence that seemed quite archaic to the other writers named.

Forster's resistance to modernity may account for the fact that his novels, though they are almost universally esteemed, have never won him a cult of fanatical disciples. With a few exceptions, critics have tended to explicate and admire his works without becoming heated over the possible merit of his ideas. Yet Forster decidedly is a novelist of ideas, and didactic moral content is hardly less conspicuous in his work than in Lawrence's. Forster's persistent "moral" is that the life of affectionate personal relations, disengaged from political and religious zeal by means of a tolerant eclecticism, is supremely valuable. This is not a stirring creed; in fact, it is a warning against allowing oneself to be stirred by any creed.

Question 1: The author's primary purpose in this passage is to

1. discuss E. M. Forster and his writing, particularly in the context of his reaction to modernity
2. compare E. M. Forster to other writers of the twentieth century such as Joyce and Lawrence
3. affirm that E. M. Forster is as much a novelist of ideas as other modern writers
4. suggest that E. M. Forster's writing is a reflection of not only Victorian ideals but also Edwardian
5. analyze E. M. Forster's response to the revolutions in science and art and how it affected his work

Question 2: According to the passage, Forster's relationship to Victorianism is which of the following?

1. He believed Victorian ideals were preferable to those of modernity.
2. He did not believe in Victorian ideals but nevertheless clung to them.
3. He considered Victorian ideals to be not only oppressive but also false.
4. He rejected Victorian ideals, but not so completely as other modern writers.
5. He incorporated Victorian ideals into his own personal ideals.

Question 3: The author most likely refers to Forster saying his "views are atavistic" in order to

1. make a case for the importance of individualism to Forster and his work
2. isolate Forster as a writer unconnected to the revolutions of the modern world
3. emphasize that Forster was an atypical modern writer
4. suggest that Forster was an ardent supporter of the popular beliefs of his time
5. point out Forster's inherent belief in Victorianism

Question 4: The passage suggests which of the following about other writers who produced works in the same period as did Forster?

❑ These writers, like Forster, rejected bourgeois values and directed their writing away from a style of polite veneer toward peculiar and individualized voices.

❑ These writers showed a greater willingness to embrace modernity than did Forster, who did not give up his belief in the importance of certain societal virtues.

❑ These writers, much like Forster, used their writing to instruct readers about their moral viewpoint, even if their styles differed from that of Forster.

1. I and II
2. I and III
3. II and III
4. I, II, and III
5. None of the above

Question 5: The author's reaction to Forster's novels can best be described as one of

1. disparagement
2. skepticism
3. neutrality
4. appreciation
5. enthusiasm

Question 6: Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

It can be inferred from the passage that Joyce, Lawrence, Pound, and Eliot in his early period were all writers who

❑ wrote in a style ahead of the spirit of their time.

❑ were often rude and offensive.

❑ lacked confidence in their audiences' sympathy

1. I
2. II
3. III
4. I and II
5. I and III

“Written-E. M. Forster is an Edwardian in point of time, and he is equally so i”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

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