How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #4
"In a place like this," she wrote, "one really does feel in the heart of things, and off the beaten track." (1.41)
In a letter home to Irma and her in-laws, Lilia gushes about the beauty of Italy. Why does going off the beaten track seem to encourage characters to experience a new culture more fully? What are the advantages of putting away your tourist guidebook and taking the road less traveled?
Quote #5
But as they climbed higher the country opened out, and there appeared, high on a hill to the right, Monteriano. The hazy green of the olives rose up to its walls, and it seemed to float in isolation between trees and sky, like some fantastic ship city of a dream. (2.65)
This is one of Forster's most striking descriptions of Monteriano. The image of the floating ship perfectly captures the magical and romantic atmosphere of Italy. The English characters who visit Italy frequently describe being transported, as if in a dream, to a land of magnificent beauty.
Quote #6
Italy, Philip had always maintained, is only her true self in the height of the summer, when the tourists have left her, and her soul awakes under the beams of a vertical sun. (6.1)
In yet another romanticized image of Italy, Forster describes the country's "true" essence as a soul. But funnily enough, this humanizing of Italy (it has a soul!) doesn't make Forster's characters respect Italy. It merely helps them fetishize it further.