The Prophetic Novel

In this brilliant and original essay, Molly A. Daniels for the first time probes into the manner in which Forster manages to weave multiple belief systems within a single narrative in A Passage to India. Forster’s masterpiece is one of a handful of most-discussed novels, yet no one has shown by what technique imperialism, humanism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, scientism, and the traditions of both East and West can co-exist with equal luminosity in a single novel. The appeal of this study goes beyond Forster criticism. Daniels’ The Prophetic Novel will trigger important new questions for critics and writers interested in the relation between structure and worldview in narratives that reflect multiversal reality.