The Nature of Storytelling
Forster explores the fundamental role of story in the novel, distinguishing between mere chronological narrative ('and then') and the more sophisticated demands of plot, which requires causality, memory, and intelligence.
Where it surfaces
Aspects of the Novel
Forster defines story as a time-sequence narrative and explores its fundamental role in the novel, using Scheherazade as a key example of suspense.
Introductory
Forster defines the novel minimally and proposes a spatial metaphor (novelists in a circular room) to explore narrative creation outside chronological constraints.
II: The Story
The chapter defines story as the lowest common denominator of all novels, a narrative of events in time sequence, and explores its primitive power to generate suspense.
People
Forster discusses how the novelist's temperament modifies evidence, and how characters are conditioned by the other aspects of the novel, linking character creation to the art of storytelling.
V: The Plot
Forster distinguishes story (time-sequence) from plot (causality), and explores how plot shapes narrative logic.
VIII: Pattern and Rhythm
The chapter explores how pattern and rhythm function alongside story and plot to create a holistic reading experience.
Character and Human Nature
The book examines the difference between flat and round characters, and how novelists reveal the hidden, secret life of people—including their dreams, passions, and inner thoughts—in contrast to the external evidence of history.
Where it surfaces
Introductory
Through the paired quotations of Richardson and James, Forster examines shared psychological traits—anxiety, sensitivity to suffering, and self-sacrifice—across time.
People
Central theme: Forster examines how novelists create characters, their relation to real people, and the difference between fictional and historical representations of human beings.
IV: People (Continued)
Forster delves into the nature of fictional characters, their relation to real people, and the distinction between flat and round characters as a key analytical tool.
V: The Plot
Discusses the tension between characters' secret inner lives and the plot's demand for action, arguing the novel's special access to subconscious.
Conclusion
Explores whether human nature can change and how that might affect the novelist's vision.
Time vs. Value
Forster contrasts the 'life in time' (chronological sequence) with the 'life by values' (intensity and meaning), arguing that the novel must balance both to achieve depth and resonance.
Where it surfaces
Introductory
Forster frames time as an enemy and uses Melville's line to highlight the feud between time and human creation, advocating for a timeless, spatial view of literature.
II: The Story
Forster contrasts the life in time (chronological sequence) with the life by values (intensity, memory, anticipation), arguing the novel must include both but cannot abandon time.
Conclusion
Forster contrasts the static nature of art with the developing onrush of history.
Art, Pattern, and Rhythm
The analysis highlights aesthetic aspects of the novel such as pattern (geometric shape, like an hourglass) and rhythm, which contribute to the book's unity and beauty beyond mere plot or character.
Where it surfaces
Aspects of the Novel
Forster introduces pattern and rhythm as aesthetic aspects of the novel, analyzing The Ambassadors for its hourglass pattern and discussing the musical quality of rhythm in fiction.
II: The Story
Forster discusses devices used by novelists to manipulate time (e.g., hiding, turning, altering the clock) as legitimate artistic techniques.
IV: People (Continued)
The chapter examines the craft of novel-writing, including devices like point of view and character interdependence, and the author's power to manipulate reader perception.
V: The Plot
Examines the craft of plotting, including Gide's attempt to create a novel that mixes reality and art, and the struggle between facts and ideal reality.
VII: Prophecy
Prophetic fiction gives the sensation of song or sound; its roughness of surface becomes smooth after reading, akin to aesthetic pattern.
VIII: Pattern and Rhythm
Forster defines pattern and rhythm as aesthetic aspects of fiction, borrowing from painting and music to describe how novels achieve beauty and unity.
Fantasy and Prophecy
Forster identifies fantasy and prophecy as higher aspects of the novel that demand extra adjustment from the reader, involving mythological elements, transcendence, and a tone that goes beyond everyday reality.
Where it surfaces
VI: Fantasy
Forster distinguishes fantasy from prophecy by their mythologies and the demands they place on the reader, with fantasy requiring an 'extra payment' of adjustment.
VII: Prophecy
Prophecy is defined as a tone of voice, distinct from fantasy; it demands humility and suspension of humor, and its face is toward unity.
Criticism and Pseudo-Scholarship
The book critiques the dangers of pseudo-scholarship and advocates for a direct, intuitive engagement with novels, free from rigid chronological or influence-based analysis.
Where it surfaces
Introductory
The chapter extensively contrasts genuine scholarship with pseudo-scholarship, warning against reductive historical or biographical approaches to fiction.
IV: People (Continued)
Forster engages critically with the formalist criticism of Mr. Percy Lubbock, arguing for a more flexible, reader-centered approach over rigid technical rules.
VI: Fantasy
Forster reflects on the difficulty of criticism, noting how a lecture series can drift from its subject, like a bird and its shadow.
VII: Prophecy
Forster distinguishes between prophetic and non-prophetic novelists through close reading of passages, critiquing the limits of classification.
The Hidden Life and Human Experience
Forster emphasizes the novelist's unique access to the secret, inner lives of characters—including birth, death, love, and self-communings—which distinguishes fiction from history and daily life.
