Section 9 Summary and Analysis

"Conclusion" Forster's brief conclusion offers the observation that it is "tempting" to speculate on the future of the novel—"will it become more or less realistic, will it be killed by the cinema, and so on." He suggests that such questionings, while entertaining, are ultimately fruitless—since these lectures, he says, have been based on the premise that all the English writers throughout history have been writing in the same room, it must be assumed that English writers in the future will also be writing in the same room. He suggests, however, that the real question is not whether the novel will change, but whether those writing novels will—in other words, will human nature change?

Forster offers the opinion that there are generally two schools of thought, both existing simultaneously. One suggests that human nature will never...