Published in 1910, Howards End was set in a time of upheaval in British society. It was the beginning of the twentieth century, and many foundational values of English life were being questioned. As Barbara C. Morden says of the era, "It was a critical period in which tensions and dislocations in society and the collapse of traditional culture and values in the face of the ‘modern’ gave rise to widespread alarm." Many such "tensions and dislocations" are explored in Howards End through two polar opposite families brought together by circumstance: the Schlegels, who value art and "personal relations," and the Wilcoxes, who value business and practicality.
The novel spans a few years of...
