This study presents the formative period of the English novelist E. M. Forster (1879-1970) with a special stress on the usage of symbolism in his early fiction. The book offers a new approach to Forster’s symbolism derived from the theoretical studies of Michael Riffaterre and his concept of symbolic systems - subtext and syllepsis. The author presents the most important symbols as used in the discussed novels and their usage in Forster’s later works. A further part of the study concentrates on the issue of spatial symbolism. The symbolism of the Italian novels A Room with a View and Where Angels Fear to Tread is presented as an artistic means for the introduction of social issues especially important for the writer, as well as a method of concealed presentation of issues which for social and personal reasons Forster could not include openly in his works such as homosexuality.