In the following essay excerpt, Colmer gives an overview of Aspects of the Novel, saying it is still popular because it "is alive on every page" and "communicates the author's own enthusiasms."

The invitation to give the Clark Lectures at Cambridge in 1927 was a tribute to Forster's distinction as a novelist and his perception as a critic; moreover, it re-established his connection with Cambridge that was to remain close until his death in 1970. After he lost his house on his mother's death in 1945, King's College elected him an Honorary Fellow and later provided him with rooms in College. For the Clark Lectures in 1927, he chose as his topic the Novel; and when the lectures were published he gave them the title, Aspects of the Novel, a modest title totally in keeping with the personality of the lecturer and his general tone and approach. In view of Forster's...