Metaphor, Symbolism, and Language in E.M. Foster’s Aspects of the Novel

Abstract

In Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster considers the novel as a literary form, and foregrounds the importance of metaphor, symbolism and language in its construction. This essay examines how Forster employs these elements to consider aspects of the novel such as plot, character, and other narrative strategies. By using metaphor, Forster explains the distinction between story and plot, and employs symbolic imagery, such as the triangle, to describe the connections between character and narrative. Forster stresses the role of language in evoking emotion, providing continuity, and generating suspense, while also introducing the subjective experiences of characters to the objective structure of the novel. This article shows how Forster’s analysis of realism and modernism remains relevant to modern literary analysis, providing lessons on novel-writing and the underlying structures of narrative for contemporary writers.