Meryem Zaman

English Novel

Dr. Rob Hale

November 10, 2003

Annotated Bibliography for A Passage To India

Crews, Frederick C. “A Passage to India.” 20th Century Interpretations of A Passage to India: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Rutherford. New York: Prentice-Hall,. 1970. 78-89. Many readers have seen A Passage to India seen as an apology for Hinduism, but this seems to be an oversimplification. The novel shifts from “Mosque” to “Caves” to “Temple” and offers various religious paths to the truth. Unfortunately all of them meet dead ends. Islam and Hinduism both attract Forster. His attraction to Islam stems from the fact that “it never leads to the abandonment of personality.” However, the refusal to abandon personality, which is a strong link between Aziz and the Westerners in the novel, handicaps them in their quest for Truth. Forster’s attraction to Hinduism is more complicated. He appreciates Hindu theology but not ritual. Hinduism is treated with respect in A Passage to India but its main purpose is to discredit the strong sense of self present in both the Muslim and Christian characters. Through these characters the novel explores two levels of reality, the human and the divine. However,Muslim, Christian and Hindu all fail to recognize God in any satisfactory way. Forster comments on the impossibility of realizing God, but his characters are given no choice but to try. A Passage to India is a novel about man’s fate. It does not state firmly that we will be saved. Neither does it say we will be damned. The point of the novel is that God’s will, if it exists, cannot be known to us.

Doloff, Steven. “Forster’s Use of Names in A Passage to India”. English Language

Notes 28.4 (1991):61-63. Academic Search Elite. Monmouth Coll. Lib., Monmouth, IL. 23 October 2003 < http://web13.epnet.com>. Names have meaning in A Passage to India. Mrs. Moore’s name indicates that she suffers from incomplete understanding. The noun “Mora” in Latin translates into delay. This makes it significant that Mrs. Moore feels that her hearts desire is perpetually delayed. Godbole’s name also has meaning. The first part of his name is “God”. The second part of his name “Bole” can be related to the Latin word “Bolus” which means an unexpected gain. Loosely translated Godbole’s name, when put together, can mean “Deity of unexpected gain.”

Monk, Leland. “Apropos of Nothing: Chance and Narrative in Forster's A Passage to

India.” Studies in the Novel 26.4 (1994): 392-404. Academic Search Elite. Monmouth Coll. Lib., Monmouth, IL. 23 October 2003 http://web13.epnet.com. India made a deep and lasting impression on E.M Forster. One of the things which puzzled him about the country was the mixture of triviality and depth he found there. The three parts of the each reflect different aspects of Indian religious and cultural beliefs as Forster saw them. In “Mosque” Forster uses Moslem ideas of friendship to show possible friendships and connections between the Indian and the English in the novel. Part one is about bringing characters together. Each chapter focuses on some meeting or deepening of friendship. “Caves”is about the breaking down of connections. All of the friendships which developed in “Mosques” break down. The “Caves” and “Temple” sections are both related to Indian religious philosophy. “Caves” represents the Philosophy of the Jains. The Jains rejected the world as a source of suffering and pain. The “Temple” section is representative of Hindu philosophy. Hindu philosophy is concerned with a simultaneous affirmation and negation of the Gods it worships. Similarly, many of the things which happen in this section of the novel can be seen as happening either by chance or because of supernatural intervention.

Singh, Frances B. “A Passage to India, the National Movement and Independence.”

Twentieth Century Literature 31.2/3 (1985): 265-278. JSTOR. Monmouth College Lib. Monmouth, IL. 23 October, 2003 http://www.jstore.org. In A Passage to India independence is a complex issue and reflects the viewpoints of prominent Indian politicians like Mohammed Iqbal, Mohammed Ali, M.K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. The influence of the Hindu and Muslim religions can be seen in the Hindu Godbole and the Muslim Aziz. The Muslim idea of independence was developed by a group called the Young Party. They saw the political regeneration of Muslims as coming about through their Islamic heritage. Aziz is similar to the members of the Young Party in many ways. Like them, he is a western trained professional and a poet. However, Aziz’s vision of an independent country is very different from one imagined by the Young Party. Aziz’s state, unlike the one formulated by the Young Party, is one which includes all faiths, rather than just Muslims. This suggests Gandhi’s political influence on Aziz. Gandhi was convinced that Indian nationalism should include all faiths. Aziz’s character starts out on Young Party lines at the beginning of the novel, but seems to be becoming Gandhian by the end of the novel. This suggests that Forster did not agree with the main points of Muslim politics. Aziz’s changes of belief through the novel illustrate various Muslim responses to the independence movement. He begins by taking no interest in it, but ultimately he accepts Hindu nationalism. Through Aziz, Forster shows that it is possible for a Muslim to become a Hindu nationalist without damaging his Muslim identity.