Though E. M. Forster remains one of the most popular English writers of the twentieth century, in the postmodern age he has been somewhat slighted by literary theory, while gay voices have attacked his apparent timidity in the face of the extreme homophobia of his time. Yet the specifically homosexual themes he was prevented from tackling in his "publishable" work bubble just below the surface even in his most popular novels. In this pioneering study, Arthur Martland reclaims Forster for the...
Though E. M. Forster remains one of the most popular English writers of the twentieth century, in the postmodern age he has been somewhat slighted by literary theory, while gay voices have attacked his apparent timidity in the face of the extreme homophobia of his time. Yet the specifically homosexual themes he was prevented from tackling in his "publishable" work bubble just below the surface even in his most popular novels. In this pioneering study, Arthur Martland reclaims Forster for the gay author he always was, his critique of conventional hypocrisies motivated and inspired throughout by a homosexual sensibility.