Forster's Comic Irony in A Passage to India

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A Passage to India - Forster's Comic Irony

What aspect of A Passage to India justifies the novel's superiority over Forster's other works? Perhaps it is the novel's display of Forster's excellent mastery of several literary elements that places it among the greatest novels of the twentieth century. Among these literary elements, Forster's comic irony stands out, and throughout the entire novel, the author satirizes the English, the Indians, and the Anglo-Indian relationship. Frederick P. W. McDowell confirms this sentiment when saying "Forster, in his description (of characters), is the witty satirist..." (100).

Most of the English officials are presented satirically. Turton, Burton, McBryde, and Major Callendar are all victims of Forster's scornful eye. Even the wives of these men cannot escape the light mockery of Forster. For example, the Turtons are introduced as unquestionably arrogant, although Mrs. Turton is far more haughty. Mrs. Turton automatically relegates all Indians to the servant class and is determined to prevent her culture from being "adu...

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