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aBut WeArgued About Novel-Writing :Virginia Woolf] E. M. Forster

and theArt of FictionA N N H E N L E Y

IN HIS "Introductory" to Aspects of the Novel, E . M . Forsteri nvi tes his audience to imagine the glorious company of Englishnovelists "seated together in a room, a circular room, a sort ofB r i t i s h Mu se um reading-room al l w r i t i n g their novels s i m u l taneously" ( 9 ) . A n d so I invite you to adopt a s imilar stratagema n d picture the two novelists who are the subject of this study Forster and V i r g i n i a Wo ol f seated, as they often were in fact,o n either side of a smaller table in a more intimate room, a roomi n Forster's Cambridge lodgings, or at tea in a Bloomsbury town-house or at Monk's House, the Woolfs' weekend residence in Sussex.

W o o l f describes one such session in a letter to Vanessa B e l l dated19 M a y 1926 : "Morgan came to tea yesterday," she says, "but weargued about novel w r i t i n g , w h i c h I w i l l not fret your ears w i t h "( 2 6 6 ) . This argument spills far beyond the edges of the 1926 teatable and permeates the novels and crit ica l writ ings of both Woolfa n d Forster. One might say that chronological ly the argumentbegan in 1908 when, as a novice reviewer of books, V i r g i n i aStephen applauded "the cleverness, the sheer fu n, and the occas i o n a l beauty" (221) of E. M . Forster's latest novel, A Room w itha View and ended in 1941 w i t h Forster's Rede Lecture onW o o l f at Cambridge just a few months before her death. In alarger sense, however, the dialogue continues today : not only doesit mark off the fields of difference between the two most prominentl i t e r a r y figures in the Bloomsbury coterie and thus illuminate theirnovels as we read them, but it also isolates the aesthetic issues atstake in the first decades of the twentieth century. Many of thep r i n c i p l e s of modernism were forged, according to Mic ha el H .

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74 ANN HENLEYL e v e n s o n , in the heat of act ive debate betw een ce rtain of i ts fa b r ic a to r s T . E . H u l m e , E z r a P o u n d , W y n d h a m L e w i s , F o r dM a d o x F o r d , a n d T . S . E l i o t ( x ) . W o o l f a n d F o r s t e r ' s s p a r r i n gwas the same k i n d o f f o rm a t iv e d ia l o gu e : each forced the other toc l a r i f y his or her con ce ptio n of the no vel , to art ic u late the essentialp r i n c i p l e s that , i n the ir d i f fe r in g view s , m ade f ic tion an art . InFors ter ' s responses to Wool f ' s comments , we find a defence of then o v e l as a perpetu ator of t ra di t io na l va lues an d a t ransm it ter o fbe l ie f ; w h i l e Woolf , in her react ions to Fors ter ' s c r i t i c i s m , becomesi n c r e a s i n g l y the ch a m p io n of an objec t ive, se l f-suff icient , endlesslye x p e r i m e n t a l a rt f o r m .T h e v e r b a l d u e l l i n g increases in interest when we see it in theco n t e x t o f t h e t w o n o v e l is ts ' l o n g - s t a n d in g b u t p r o b l e m a t ica lf r iendship . F o r s t er w a s o n e o f th e C a m b r id g e gra d u a t e s w h o g r a v i ta ted to the Stephen s ib l ings ' B lo om sbu ry flat, bu t h is som ew hats p o r a d i c associat ion w i t h t h e " B l o o m s b e r r i e s " w a s d u e p r i m a r i l yto h is p r o f o u n d a d m i r a t io n f o r L e o n a r d W o o l f . O f V i r g i n i a herselfF o r s t er w a s w a r y : " O n e w a i t e d f o r h e r t o s n a p , " he s a id ( F u r -b a n k I I , 1 8 ) . H e c o nf id e d t o Q u e n t i n B e l l that "she was a lwaysvery sweet to me, but I don't think she was p a r t i c u l a r l y f o n d o f m e ,i f that's th e w o r d " ( I I , 1 3 3 ) . If she was "sweet" to the skit t ishF o rs t e r p u b l i c l y , pr ivate ly she w as often scath ing : the le tter toV a n e s s a B e l l qu oted ear l ier , for exam ple , descr ibes For s ter as " l i m pa n d d a m p a n d m i l d e r t h a n th e b r e a t h o f a c o w . " N o n e th e le ss ,t h r o u g h o u t her twenty-f ive-year career as a novel is t , Wool f ' s des i re f o r F o rs t e r ' s c r i t i ca l a p p ro b a t io n w a s a rd e n t a n d u n d i m i n i shed . W h e n he w r o te i n 1 9 1 9 that he l i k e d Night a n d D a y f a r lesst h a n The Vo y a g e Out, W o o l f h a d t o s tru ggl e to t a k e th e c r i t i c i s mp h i l o s o p h i c a l l y : " T h i s ru b b e d o u t a l l t h e p le a su re o f th e rest," sh esays in her d i a r y . T h e n e x t w e e k , h o w e v e r , s h e w a s a b l e t o co m m ent , " I see it is not a cr it ic ism to discou rag e. . . . M o r g a n has theartist 's m i n d ; he says the s im ple thing s that clever people d on 'tsay; I find h i m t h e best of cr i t ics for that reason" ( 2 0 ) . A n d in1 9 4 0 , when her fame as a novel is t was u n d i s p u t e d , she a l l bu t he ldher breath as she w aited for Fo rs ter ' s react ion to the R o g er F r yb i o g r a p h y : " A n d I fear M o r g a n w i l l say just e n o u gh t o s h o whe doesn't l i k e , but is k i n d " ( 3 2 5 ) . F o r h i s p a r t F o r s t e r a d m i r e dW o o l f bo th as a novel ist w hose vis ionar y qu al i ty corr espond ed to

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WOOLF FORSTER AND THE ART OF FICTION5his w ishes for h is o w n fiction ( F u r b a n k I I , 18 ) and as an authori ty on Br i t is h l i terature . I t w as , in fact, in this latter capacity thathe sought her advice at the contention-riddled tea table . H a v i n gbeen asked to del iver the Clark Lectures at Cambridge , the seriessubsequently publ ished as Aspects of the Nov el, Forster came toW o o l f t o find out how to lec ture on novels and what novels heo u g h t t o i n c l u d e ( R o s e n b a u m 5 8 ) . She w as to his m in d the onem e m b e r o f a n e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y l e a r n e d l i t e r a r y c i r c l e best e q u i p p e dto g ive sound advice in both areas.

T h e teapot's l i d w a s b l o w n , i n effect, b y W o o l f ' s t w o responsesto Aspects of the Nov el a r e v i ew , l a te r e n t it l e d " T h e A r t o f F i c t i o n , " i n O c t o b e r 1 9 2 7 ; a n d a n essay i n Atlantic Monthly, " T h eN o v e l s o f E . M . F o r s t e r ," th e next m o n t h . These three w o r k s p l u s F o r s te r 's " T h e E a r l y N o v e l s o f V i r g i n i a W o o l f , " h i s R e d eL e ct u re , a n d W o o l f 's " M o d e r n F i c t i o n " a n d " M r . Bennett a n dM r s . B r o w n " c o m p r is e th e o n g o i n g debate. T a k e n together theyabstract the two aspects o f n o v e l w r i t i n g character and artist icvision w h i c h separate m o s t e m p h a t i c a l l y t h e t w o teacups on theB l o o m s b u r y t a b l e .H a v i n g fo l lo w ed Forster 's l ead an d dispensed al together w i t hc h r o n o l o g y , w e a r e free t o b e g i n t r a c i n g t h e W o o l f - F o r s t e r d i s agreement at i ts conclusion, the 1 9 4 1 Rede Lecture, for this is thed o c u m e n t that divides the debate most neatly into two spheres.A f t e r discussing at some l e n g t h W o o l f ' s strengths as a novelist,Forster comes to what he cal l s "her problem's center," that i s , " c a nshe create character?" Woolf had, Forster recognizes , some ski l l i ncreat ing characters w h o w e r e n o t " u n r e a l . . . w h o l ived w e l lenough on the page" ; her great f law as a novel ist was her inabil i tyt o i m b u e h e r characters w i t h " l i f e e t e r n a l " :

She could seldom so portray a character that it was remem beredaf terward on its ow n account. . . . M r . and M rs . Ram say do rem ainw i t h the reader afterwards and so perhaps do Rachel from TheVo y a g e Out and Clar issa D al low ay. F or the rest it is impossibleto maintain that here is an immortal portrait gal lery. . . . ( 2 4 5 )W o o l f ' s d i f f i c u l t y w i t h character absorbs Forster here as it hadsixteen years before in his essay " T h e E a r l y N o v e l s o f V i r g i n i a

W o o l f . " H e r fir st f o u r n o v el s h a d c o n v i n c e d F o r s t er that here w asa wri ter whose technical v ir tuosi ty c lear ly forecast a new era in the

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76 ANN HENLEYhistory of the n o v e l . " B u t , " h e objects, " w h a t o f t h e subject t h a tshe re g a r d s a s o f t he h ig he s t im p o r t a n c e : h u m a n b e ing s as aw h o l e a n d a s w h o l e s ? " ( 1 1 3 ) . H e c o n t in u e s : " T h e p r o b l e m t h a tshe has set herself and that certainly w o u l d i n a u g u r a t e a n e w l i t erature i f so lved is to r etain he r o w n w o n d e r f u l n e w m e t h o da n d f o r m , and yet a l l o w he r r e a d er s to i nh a b i t e a c h c ha r a c t e r w i t hV i c t o r i a n t h o r o u g h n e s s " ( 1 1 4 ) . Fo rster invi tes his readers to co nsider h o w di f f i cu l t " t h i s p r o b l e m " is ( a n d h e r e h e is s p e a k i n g sp ec i f i ca l ly o f M r s . Dalloway) :

I f you w o r k in a storm of atoms and seconds, if your highest joyis " l i f e ; L o n d o n ; this moment in June" and your deepest mystery"here is one ro o m ; there ano ther , " then how can you constructy o u r human beings so that each shall b e no t a m o v a b l e m o nu m e ntbu t an abiding ho m e , ho w c a n y o u b u i l d between them any permanent roads of love and hate? ( 1 1 4 )T h e im ag e of the novel is t as arch i tect or c i v i l engineer is apposite

w h e n one considers the two chapters Forster devotes to characteri n Aspects of the Novel, f o r i n t h i s w o r k he makes i t c lear thatcharacters in a n o v e l , w h a t e v e r th e d e p t h a n d c o m p l e x i t y o f t h e i ri n n e r l ives, fu n ct io n to sat is fy the d em and s of other aspects of then o v e l . " W e a re c o n c e r n e d , " h e sa ys, " w i t h the characters in theirr e l a t i o n . . . to a plot , a m o r a l , t h e i r fe l low c ha r a c t e r s , a t m o s phe r e ,e t c . T h e y w i l l have to adapt themselves to other requirements oft h e i r c r e a t o r " ( 6 5 ) . A g a i n a nd a g a i n t he uti l i ty of character i ss tressed. A novel is t , Forster te l l s us , has two "devices" to help himc o pe w i t h the t r ia ls w h i c h beset h i m : one device i s point of v i e w ,a n d the other i s the " u se " of di f ferent k i n d s of characters ( 6 7 ) .I n d e e d , Fo r s t er ' s c ha r a c t er s f a i l e d t o c o n v i nc e W o o l f pr e c is e lybecause they are so t i g h t l y hi t c he d t o the i r c r ea t o r 's i n t e nt io ns . H e rreview o f A Room with a View expresses h e r d i s a p p o i n t m e n t w i t hFo r s t e r ' s t r e a t m e nt o f h i s c ha r a c t e r s , t he i r "b e l i t t l e m e nt , " h i s" c r a m p i n g o f t he i r s o u l s " ( 2 2 2 ) . A n d w h i l e her discuss ion ofHowards End i n " T h e N o v e l s o f E . M . F o r s t e r " p r ais es th e r e a l it yw i t h w h i c h the characters are presented, i t also notes the d istressingd i s j u n c t i o n b e t w e e n the c ha r a c t e rs "a s t he m s e l v es " a n d t he c h a r acters as they are forced to serve the ends of their maker . Ther e ad e r , W o o l f c o m p l a i n s , m u s t a b a n d o n " t h e e n c h a n t e d w o r l d o fi m a g i n a t i o n " w he r e a l l t he f a c u l t i es o pe r at e i n c o nc e r t a nd enter

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WOOLF FORSTER AND THE ART OF FICTION7" t h e t w i l i g h t w o r l d o f t h e o ry , w h e re o n l y o u r in t e l l e c t f u n ct io n sd u t i f u l l y " ( 1 7 2 ) . O cca s io n a l l y F o rs t e r f o rge t s h is o b l iga t io n t odel iver h is " m e ss a g e" a n d a l lo w s c e r ta i n c o m i c c h a r a c t e r s T i b b ya n d M r s . M u n t , f o r e x a m p l e t o ra n ge f ree l y in t h e im a g in a r yw o r l d u n s h e p h e rd e d b y t h e a u t h o r . S u ch ch a ra c t e rs a re , h o w e v e r ,the exc ept ion i n Fo rs ter ' s f ic tion; far m or e u su al are charactersp e n t b y p u r p o s e . " M a r g a r e t , H e l e n , L eo n ar d Bast , are c lose lyte thered and v i g i l a n t l y ov erlo ok ed les t they m ay tak e m at ters in tot h e i r o w n h a n d s a n d u p se t t h e t h e o r y " ( 1 7 3 ) .

I n h e r o w n tr ea tise o n c h a ra c te r , " M r . B e n ne tt a n d M r s .B r o w n , " W o o l f h a d a l re a d y a l l u d e d t o t h e d a m a ge d o n e F o rs t e r 'sfiction b y h is s u b o r d in a t io n o f ch a r a c t e r to t h e o ry . F o rs t e r 's e a r l yw o r k , l i ke D . H . L a w r e n c e ' s , W o o l f say s h e re , is " s p o i l t " b e ca u se ,in s te a d o f t h ro w in g a w a y th e t o o ls o f t h e E d w a r d i a n s a n d t h e i r" e n o r m o u s stress u p o n t h e f a b r ic o f t h i n g s " ( 1 1 2 ) , he a t tempted toc o m p r o m i s e w i t h t h e m . H e " t r i e d t o c o m b i n e [ his] o w n d i r ec tsense of the od dity an d s ign if icanc e of some ch arac ter w i t h M r .G a l s w o r t h y ' s k n o w l e d g e o f t h e F a c t o r y A c t , a n d M r . B e n n et t'sk n o w l e d g e o f th e F i v e T o w n s " ( 1 1 4 ) . A n d t h o u g h W o o l f su g geststhat Fors ter has engaged to some extent in the genera l Georgians m a s h i n g and breaking of convent ion, she nonethe less f inds himcement ing his characters too firmly to t h e i r s u rro u n d in g s a n d to h iso w n m or als , st rug gles, an d protests.

N o t h i n g c o u l d co n t ra s t m o re s h a rp l y w i t h W o o l f ' s vision ofc h a r a c t e r i n t h e n o v e l . H e r c o m m e n ts o n B r i t i s h a n d C o n t i n e n t a lnovel is ts and her notes on he r o w n novels attest to the fact that forher , character depends on no force outs ide the novel ; ra ther i t isthe novel 's moment of genesis , the v i t a l ce n t re f ro m w h i c h th en o v e l an d a l l i ts vario u s aspects rad iate . A l l novelists w r i t e , she saysi n " M r . B en nett a n d M r s . B r o w n , " because " they are l u r e d on tocreate s o m e ch a ra c t e r w h i c h has . . . imposed i t se l f u p o n t h e m "( 9 4 ) . The rea l is ts f a i l to capture the w i l l - o ' - t h e - w i s p o f ch a ra c t e rbecause, i n the ir fervo u r to express i t i n term s of surro u ndin g s orin terms of some doctr ine , they are b l i n d t o " ch a ra c t e r in i t s e l f . "L a u re n ce S t e rn e a n d Jane A u s t e n , w h o a l o n e a m o n g E n g l i s h w r i t ers re ceiv e u n e q u iv o ca l p ra is e f r o m W o o l f , s u cce ed e d w h e re h e rc o n t e m p o r a r i e s f a i l because they " w ere interes ted i n th ings i nthem selves ; in chara cter in i t se l f; in the bo ok in i tse lf . Th erefo re

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78 ANN HENLEYeverything w a s in s id e t h e b o o k , n o t h in g o u t s id e " ( 1 0 5 ) . R u s s i a nnovelists, h o w e v e r , p r o v i d e d W o o l f e v e n s o u n d e r m o d e l s o f t h ep r o p e r re l a t io n s h ip o f ch a ra c t e r t o th e n o v e l . T u rg e n e v , f o r e x a m p l e , " d i d no t see his boo k s as a succession of events; he sawt h e m as a success ion of emo t ions ra di at in g f r om some ch arac tera t t h e c e n t r e " ( " N o v e l s o f T u r g e n e v " 5 8 ) . A n d i t is t h u s t h a tm a n y of her own novels were conceived. A b o u t To the Lighthouseshe says, " T h e c entre is father 's ch arac ter, s it t ing in a bo at , recit ingW e perished, each a lone , w h i l e he crushes a d y i n g m a c k e r e l "(Diary 7 5 ) . W r i t i n g a novel then requires dedicat ion to the tasko f re n d e r in g th a t vision of character as accurate ly and suggest ive lyas possible : " to try this sentence and that , re ferr ing each w o r d tom y vis ion , m a t c h i n g i t as e x a c t ly as p o s s ib l e " ( " M r . B e n n e t t "1 1 2 ) .

T h u s th e a rg u m e n t go es. W o o l f ' s ch a ra c te rs f a i l to l ive , saysFors ter , because they are too far removed f rom the f lux of d ai lyl i f e ; Fors ter ' s characters f a i l , says Wool f , because messages a n dm a t e r i a l s u r r o u n d i n g s h a m p e r t h e i r m o v e m e n t. C h a r a c t e r , saysF or ster , is a devic e a nov elist uses in the service of othe r aspectsof the novel . Character , says Wool f , i s the v i t a l p rin c ip l e t h a t ca l l sthe rest of the novel into being.

T h e s eco n d sp h e re o f c r i t i c a l d i f fe re n ce b e tw e en W o o l f a n d F o r ster is no t so m u c h an aspect of the no v el as it is an aspect of th enovel ist art is t ic vis ion , t h e f a cu l t y w i t h w h i c h t h e w r i t e r selectsa n d shapes the substance of h is w o rk . In descr ib ing W o o l f in theo p e n i n g p a ra gra p h s o f t h e R e d e L e ct u re , F o rs t e r m e n t io n s t w oqual i t ies w h i c h app aren t ly he feels were p ecu l iar ly hers : the firstis her recept ivi ty to sensual s t i m u l i ; the second is her singleness ofvis ion . M o s t w r i te r s , h e r e m a r k s ,

write w i t h ha lf an eye on their royalties, ha lf an eye on their critics,a nd a th ird half-eye on i m p r o v i n g th e w o r l d , w h i c h leaves themw i t h only half an eye for the task on w h i c h [Woolf] concentratedher entire vision. She w o u l d not look elsewhere. . . . ( 2 4 0 )B u t Forster is at best a g ru d g in g ad m irer o f th is singleness of p u r pose, for this fixed vision o f W o o l f ' s l ea ds h er t o w a r d t h a t " d r e a d f u l h o le " o f aes thetic ism. " Sh e has a l l the aesthete's character is t i c s , " h e c o m p l a i n s : s h e "selects a n d m a n ip u l a t e s h e r im p re s s io n s. . . ; enforces patterns o n he r bo o k s; has no great cause at h ea rt "

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WOOLF FORSTER AND THE ART OF FICTION9( 2 4 0 ) . Inde ed Fo rster t r ips repeatedly o ver the fact t h a t W o o l fh a d n o great cause at hea rt , tha t she fel t no resp on sibi l i ty for i m p r o v i n g th e w o r l d . H e r a r t s u f f e re d , i n h i s e s t im a t i o n , because h erf e m i n i s m a n d h e r d e ta c h m e n t f r o m th e w o r k i n g classes m a d e h e ra t t i t u d e t o s o c i e t y " a l o o f a n d a n g u l a r " ( 2 5 1 ) .

T o t a k e l a c k o f s y m p a t h y w i t h h u m a n k i n d a s a b as is f o r a l i t erary jud gm ent appears to be m istak ing ethics for aesthetics, b u tf o r F o r s t e r t h e t w o a m o u n t e d t o v e r y n e a r l y t h e same t h i n g . I nAspects of the Novel he insists that

the intensely, stif l ing h u m an q u ality of the no vel is not to beavoided; the novel is sogged w i t h h u m a n i t y ; there is no escapingthe u pl i f t or the dow npo ur . . . . We m ay hate humanity, but i f i t isexorcised o r pu rif ied the n ovel w il ts ; l i t t le is left bu t a b u nc h ofwords. ( 2 4 )

T h e mo st va lu ab le f iction, F or ster feels , is pr od u ce d not by thew r i t e r w h o s e e y e i s s i n g l e , t r a i n e d e x c l u s i v e l y u p o n w h a t W o o l fcal l s " th e w or k i tse l f , " bu t by one whose eye is cath ol ic , ec lect ic ,capable of focusing at the same t i m e u p o n t h e w o r k a n d u p o n t h eh u m a n issu es w h i c h s u r r o u n d i t .T h e c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n t h e n o v e l ' s i n t e n s e l y h u m a n q u a l i t y a n dit s aesthetic exigencies is the subject of the chapter of Aspects ofthe Novel e n t it le d " P a t t e r n , " i n w h i c h F o r s te r r ec o u n ts t h e debateb etw e e n H e n r y James a n d H . G . W e ll s. T h e exchange figuresi m p o r t a n t l y i n o u r s t u d y because i t m i r r o r s t h e W o o l f - F o r s t e r d e bate e x a c t l y a n d because W o o l f r e s p o n d e d t o i t s o p o i n t e d l y . F o r ster's object ion to James's fic tion is that "m ost of h u m an l i fe hasto disappear before h e c a n d o u s a n o v e l " ( 1 6 0 ) . " T h e r e i s , " h eprotests,

no philosophy in the novels, no religion . . . no prophecy, no bene-fi t for the superhuman at al l . I t is for the sake of a part icu laraesthetic effect which is certainly gained, but at this heavy price.(161-62)

H e r e i n p a r t i s W o o l f ' s re joinder :F o r H e n r y James brought into the novel something besides humanbeings. H e created patterns w h ich , thoug h beau tiful in them selves,are hostile to hu m anity. A n d for his neglect of l ife, says M r . Forster,he w i l l perish.But at this point the pertinacious p u p i l m a y d e m a n d : " W h a t i sthis ' L i f e ' that keeps cropping up so mysteriously and so compia-

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80 ANN HENLEYcently in books abou t f iction? W h y is it absent in a pattern andp re se nt i n a te a p a r t y ? " ( " A r t o f F i c t i o n " 1 0 9 )Fo rster , of course, finds in fav ou r of W el l s , w h o asserts that l i fe" 'm ust not be w h it t l ed or dis tended for a pattern 's sak e ' " (Aspects1 6 3 ) . A n d t h is sa m e f i n d i n g t h a t a n o v e l m u s t b e i m b u e d w i t hi ts creator 's eclectic d ou ble vision o r it i s fin ally " n o t w o r t h d o i n g "( 1 6 4 ) is at the heart of Fo rster 's c r i t ic ism of W o o l f .

P e r h a p s F o r s t e r d e n o u n c e d W o o l f ' s s in g le ne ss o f vision in theR e d e L e c t u r e because y ea rs b e fo r e i n " T h e N o v e l s o f E . M . F o r s ter" she had rather harshly at tacked his doubleness . There is , sheinsists i n this essay, "o ne g if t m or e essential to a nov el ist th an [anyo t h e r ] , t h e p o w e r o f c o m b i n a t i o n t h e s in g l e v i s i o n " ( 1 6 6 ) . B u tat the heart of Forster 's no vels she finds am big u ity su pp lan t ing thisessential gift : " ins tead of seeing . . . one s ingle w h ole w e see tw oseparate p a r t s " ( 1 6 9 ) . She finds in Howards End al l the e lem entsn ec es sa ry t o a m a s te r p ie c e b u t fin ds t h e m i n s o l u t i o n . " E l a b o r a t i o n , ski l l , w i s d o m , p e n e t r a t i o n , b e a u t y t h e y ar e a l l t h e re , b u tt h ey l a c k f u s i o n ; t h ey l a c k c o h e s i o n " ( 17 1 ) . A Passage to Indiatoo fai ls to l ive up to i ts readers ' expectations, but i t is at leastb e g i n n i n g t o a p p r o a c h " s a t u r a t i o n " : i n t h is n o v e l , W o o l f sa ys," t h e d o u b l e v i s i o n w h i c h t r o u b l e d u s i n t h e e a r l i e r b o o k s w a s i np r o c e s s o f b e c o m i n g s i n g l e " ( 1 7 5 ) .

T h e w o r d s " s a t u r a t i o n , " " f u s i o n , " " c o h e s i o n " are i m p o r t a n tc r i t i c a l t er m s f o r W o o l f ; a d i a r y e n tr y p e n n e d just a f e w m o n t h safter h er pu b l ic responses to Aspects of the Novel e x p l a i n s t h e m :

T h e idea has com e to me that w hat I w ant now to do is to saturateevery atom . I m ean to el im inate al l w aste, deadness, su per f luity:to g ive the m om ent w ho le . . . . W h y adm it anything to l iteraturethat is not poetry by w h i c h I mean saturated? Is that not mygrudge against novelists? that they select nothing? ( 1 3 6 )

A n d her ent ire career w as a series of da r in g at temp ts to r epr od u cel u m i n o u s m o m e n t s o f h u m a n c o n s c i o u s n e s s n o m a t t e r w h a t c o n v e n t i o n a l p a r a p h e r n a l i a s h e h a d t o e l i m i n a t e i n t h e p r o c e s s . F o r ster , l ike other novel ists , fe l l f a r s h o r t o f W o o l f ' s e x a c t i n g c r i t e r i abecause h i s d o u b l e vision m u d d l e d h i s a t te m p t s t o see a n d r e n d e rt h e m o m e n t w h o l e . I n d e e d t h e e n t i r e W o o l f - F o r s t e r a r g u m e n t ,a b o u t c h a r a c t e r a s w e l l as about the artist 's vis ion , i s l argely ana r g u m e n t a b o u t w h e t h e r a n o v e l i s t h e su m o f v a r i o u s q u a n t i f i a b l e

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WOOLF FORSTER AND THE ART OF FICTION1parts dic tated by m ate r ia l c i rcum stances outs ide the nove l cer-t a i n l y Forster saw i t thus or w heth er i t is w h at W o o l f , i n f l u e n c ed as sh e w a s b y C o l e r i d g e a n d b y G . E . M o o r e , f el t i t t o b e :a n organic uni t whose parts evolve spontaneously f rom an or ig inalc o n c e p t i o n o f t h e w h o l e .

A s s in c e re ly as F o r s te r a d m i r e d W o o l f ' s t e c h n i c a l a c h i e ve m e n ti n the art o f f ic tio n, he nonetheless objected strongly to her apparent preference for the for m al over the hu m an e lements of the novel .H e w a s , as M a r k G o l d m a n p o in ts o u t , " t o o m u c h th e n o ve lis t o fi d e a s ; t o o i n v o l v e d , h o w e v e r s k e p t i c a ll y , i n th e l i b e r a l t r a d i t i o n "to be complete ly recept ive to Wool f 's "novel of sensibi l i ty" ( 3 9 1 -9 2 ) . F o r s t e r' s c o m m e n ts o n W o o l f s o u n d , i n fact, r e m a r k a b l y l i k et h e im p o r t u n a t e sp e ak e r 's i n R o b e r t F r o s t ' s p o e m :

O Star (the fairest one in sight),We grant your loftiness the rightT o some o bscurity of clo u d. . . .Bu t to be w ho l ly tac i turnI n your reserve is not al lowed.Say something to us we can learnB y heart and when alone repeat.Say som ething! A n d i t says, " I b u rn . "T o F o r s t e r, o b s e r v in g t h e c u l t u r a l c o n f u s i o n a b o u t h i m , t h e s i tu a t i o n d e m a n d e d l i t e r a r y c o m m u n i c a t i o n o f s o m e t h i n g w h i c h r e sem bled, at any rate, the o ld verit ies an d values. I f , as D a v i dDaiches was to insist in 1 9 3 8 , t h e " c o m m u n i t y o f b e l i e f " h a d v a n i shed, i f h u m an re lat ionships w ere forever a l tered, then the w ri terw a s o b l i g a t e d , these two crit ics fel t , to offer something to stand inthe place of those bel iefs and relationships. Forster most c learlyart icu lates his f rustrat ion w i t h W o o l f ' s r e f u s a l t o " s a y s o m e t h i n gw e c a n l e a r n b y h e a r t " i n h i s essay on her ear ly novels : one novelis "not explanatory of the universe" ( 1 0 8 ) ; the style of anotheris so e lusive that " i t cannot say m u c h or be sure of saying an yt h in g "( 1 0 9 ) ; and another has no "message" save "'here i s o n e r o o m ,there a n o th e r '" ( m ) . W o o l f , he r em a r k ed after h e r d e a t h , h a dn o great cause at heart ; speci f ica l ly , she dec l ined to t ransport inh e r i t e d b e li ef s a n d c o n v en t io n s t h r o u g h t h e p o s t - W o r l d W a r Idesert to whatever Promised Land lay on the other s ide .

B u t W o o l f w a s n o less sensitive to the seismic shocks of her time

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82 ANN HENLEYt h a n F o r st er a n d D a i c h es . O b s e r v i n g i n " M r . B e nn et t a n d M r s .B r o w n " t h a t " o n o r a b o u t D e c e m b e r , 1 9 1 0 , h u m a n n a t u r ec h a n g e d , " s h e goes o n t o a c k n o w l e d g e t h a t s u c h changes are a l w a y s a c c o m p a n i e d b y r a d i c a l changes i n " r e l i g i o n , c o n d u c t , p o l i t i c s , a n d l i t e r a t u r e " ( 9 6 ) . She too , she says, cries out " f o r the ol ddecorums, and envy the indolence of my ancestors w h o , i n s t e a d o fs p i n n i n g m a d l y t h r o u g h m i d - a i r , d r e a m t q u i e t l y i n t h e s h a d e w i t ha b o o k " ( 1 1 6 ) . H o w e v e r , t h o u g h s h e, l i k e a l l n o v el is ts before a n dsince , was preoccupied w i t h t h e m e a n i n g o f b e i n g h u m a n , s h e d i dnot see that m ea nin g threatened or obscu red by the crashings g oin g on abou t her . A s a w o m an she h ad been at best a p e r i p h e r a lp a r t i c i p a n t i n t h e c u l t u r a l a n d l i t e r a r y t r a d i t i o n w h i c h h a d p r e ceded the war ; thu s she saw in the splin terin g of con ven tion freed o m t o f a s h i o n f r o m " o r t s , s c r a p s , a n d f r a g m e n t s " a f u l l e r , m o r el u m i n o u s , and final ly more accurate r e n d e r in g o f th e h u m a n c o n dit ion t h a n h a d p r e v i o u s l y b ee n p o s s ib l e. T h o u g h c o n v i n c e d t h a tFors ter was " the best of cr i t ics , " she nonetheless c lung resolutelyt o h er o w n e v o l v i n g m e th o d s o f r e p r o d u c i n g v i t a l e x p er ie n ce . " W ek n o w , " sh e say s i n " M o d e r n F i c t i o n , " " t h a t c e r t a in p a t h s seem t olead to fert i le la n d , others to the dust an d the desert" ( 1 4 6 ) .

Fors ter was deeply s tung by Woolf ' s reac t ions to Aspects of theNovel; her object ion to his dismissal of the c laims of art in favourof the c la ims of " l i fe " annoyed him espec ia l ly , as th is vexed le t tert o W o o l f m a k e s c l e a r :

Y o u r article inspires me to the happiest repartee. This vague truthabout l i fe . Exact ly. But what of the talk about art? E a c h sentenceleads to an exquisitely fashioned casket of which the key has unfortu nately been m islaid & unt i l you can find you r bu nch I sha l lcease to hu nt very anxious ly for m y ow n. (Fu rbank I I , 1 4 6 )

W o o l f r es p o n d ed i n a n im p e r s o n a l t y p e w r i tt e n note that one oug htto hu nt mo re di l ig ent ly tha n F ors ter ha d for the pr op er re la t ionship of art to life before r e l e g a t i n g a r t t o a n i n f e r i o r r e a l m . B u tt h e n s h e a d d e d i n h e r o w n h a n d a note a p o l o g i z i n g f o r h u r t i n g o ra n n o y i n g h i m : " T h e a r ti cl e w a s c u t d o w n t o fit T h e N a t i o n , a n dthe weig ht a l l fe l l in the same p l a c e . B u t I ' m a w f u l l y s o r ry i f Iw a s a n n o y i n g " {Letters 4 3 7 ) .

Thus ended the tempest in the 1 9 2 7 t ea p o t . H o w e v e r , d es pit ea d m i r a t i o n a n d c o n c i l i a t i o n , t h e debate b e t w e e n W o o l f a n d F o r -

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WOOLF FORSTER AND THE ART OF FICTION3ster was inevi table . Because t h e i r v e r b a l d u e l f o r c e d e a c h t o a r t i c u late cr i t ic al theories a nd because i t ref lects two signif icant posit ionsin t h e m o d e r n i s t d i l e m m a , W o o l f a n d F o r s t e r c o n t i n u e , i n t h e i ressays as they once d i d across their tea tables , to argue about novelw r i t i n g .

WORKS CONSULTEDB e l l , Q u e n t i n . Virginia Woolf: A B io grap h y . 1 9 72 . L o n d o n : T h e H o g a r t hP r e s s , 1 9 8 2 .D a i c h e s , D a v i d . Th e Novel and the M odern World. U o f C h i c a g o P , 1 9 39 .F o r st e r , E . M . Aspects of the Novel. 1 92 7 . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 9 5 5 .

. " T h e E a r l y N o v e l s of V i r g i n i a W o o l f . " A b in ge r Harv e s t . N e w Y o r k :H a r c o u r t , 1 9 3 6 . 106-15.

. " V i r g i n i a W o o l f : T h e R e d e L e c t u r e . " Tw o Cheers f o r D e m o cracy .E. M . Forster: Abinger H arv est Edit ion. E d . O l i v e r S t a l l y b ra s s . 1 4 v o l s.L o n d o n : E d w a r d A r n o l d , 1 9 7 2 . 2 3 8 - 5 2 .F r o s t, R o b e r t . " T a k e S o m e t h i n g L i k e a S t a r . " Complete Poems of RobertFrost. N e w Y o r k : H o l t , 1 9 6 4 . 5 7 5 .F u r b a n k , P . N . E. M . Forster: A Life . 1977-78. N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 98 1.G o l d m a n , M a r k . " V i r g i n i a W o o l f a n d E . M . F o r s t e r : A C r i t i c a l D i a l o g u e . "

Texas Studies in Lan g u ag e an d L i t erat u re 7 ( W i n t e r 19 6 6 ) : 3 8 7 - 4 0 0 .L e v e n s o n , M i c h a e l . A G e ne al o gy o f M o dern ism : A Study of Engl ish LiteraryDoctrine, igo8-ig22. C a m b r i d g e U P , 1 9 84 .R o s e n b a u m , S . P . "Aspects of the Novel a n d L i t e r a r y H i s t o r y . " CentenaryReva luat ions of E. M . Forster. E d . J u d i t h S h e r e r H e r z a n d R o b e r t K .M a r t i n . U o f T o r o n t o P , 1 98 2 . 5 5 - 8 3 .W o o l f , V i r g i n i a . " T h e A r t o f F i c t i o n . " T h e M o m e n t an d Other Essays. 1 9 4 7 .N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 97 5 . 106-12.

. The Letters of Virginia Woolf. E d . N i g e l N i c h o l s o n a n d J o a n n eT r a u t m a n n . 6 v o ls . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 19 7 5 - 8 0. V o l . 3 .

. " M r . B e n n e t t a n d M r s . B r o w n . " The Captain 's Death Bed and OtherEssays. 1 95 0 . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 19 78 . 94-119.

. " M o d e r n F i c t i o n . " The Comm on R eader: First Series. 1 92 5 . E d . A n d r e w M c N e i l l i e . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 9 84 . 146-54.

. " T h e N o v e l s o f E . M . F o r s t e r . " The Death of the M oth and OtherEssays. 1 9 4 2 . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 19 70 . 162-75.

. " T h e N o v e l s o f T u r g e n e v . " The Captain 's Death Bed and Other Essays. 1 95 0 . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 97 8. 5 3 - 6 1 .

. " A R o o m w i t h a V i e w . " The Essay s of Virginia Woolf. E d . A n d r e wM c N e i l l i e . 2 v o l s , t o d a t e . L o n d o n : T h e H o g a r t h P r e s s, 1 9 87 - . 1 :2 2 1 - 2 2 .

. A Writer 's Diary . E d . L e o n a r d W o o l f . N e w Y o r k : H a r c o u r t , 1 9 5 4 .