Plot – points to discuss
- Faculty meeting and miscellaneous
How are the professors described (SATIRE)?
Comment on Howard’s speech against Monty’s lectures, his defeat and humiliation.
Emerson Hall dinner. Howard at home talking to Kiki.
Levi in Boston, visiting Chou.
* How strange it was to see streets where everybody was black! It was like a homecoming; except he’d never known this home. And yet they all hurried past him as if he were a local – nobody looked at him twice. (p. 356)
Analyse the character of Chou and explain why Levi feels so ‘attracted’ to him.
Comment on Kiki’s visit to the Kipps. What is her opinion on Monty’s behaviour to Chantelle and opportunities for other black students?
Points to discuss:
1. pretext - E.M. Forster: Howards End
My largest structural debt should be obvious to any E.M. Forster fan; suffice it to say, he gave me a classy old frame, which I covered with new material as best as I could. (Zadie Smith)
2. style -common features
3. plot - parallels, common themes
Carlene = Ruth Wilcox
Kiki = Margaret Schlegel
Carl = Leonard Bast
4. plot - extra elements added by Smith
5. parallels
* opening - emails/ letters
* love affair - Jerome+Victoria / Helen+Paul
* antithetical families - Kipps + Belseys / Schelegels + Wilcoxes
* friendship - Kiki+Carlene / Ruth+Margaret
* sudden death - Carlene / Ruth
* helping the 'poor' - Carl / Leonard
* legacy - Carlene: painting / Ruth: house
6. allusions to:
music
paintigs
literature
art
TV / film
