Howards End is set in Edwardian England during the early 20th century. The novel explores the contrast between an idealized and tranquil version of the English countryside, and the bustling and rapidly modernizing city of London.
The novel is primarily set in two locations: Howards End and other English country houses, and the London homes of the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels. These symbolize the “old world” of England versus the new, modernizing society that was then developing. This contrast underscores the social themes of the novel, which pay a lot of attention to the tension between tradition and innovation.
In addition to these two spaces, the Schlegels and Wilcoxes are also variously associated with British Africa and Germany, as they travel and conduct business. Forster’s novel is critical of colonialism, and any cosmopolitanism or internationalism that damages English values. However, it depicts Germany romantically, as a place of poetry and sophistication.
As Howards End is a novel of manners, a significant portion of it involves characters talking to each other in intimate scenarios and public settings. The contrast between the tranquil country houses, which have a sense of space, and bustling, overfilled London, has a profound effect on characters' actions. Indeed, the house Howards End seems to cast a magic spell over Margaret, suggesting a return to a purer, kinder England than the one she is forced to live in.
