How we cite our quotes: (Chapter. Paragraph)
Quote #1
"It is only by going off the track that you get to know the country. See the little towns—Gubbio, Pienza, Cortona, San Gemignano, Monteriano. And don't, let me beg you, go with that awful tourist idea that Italy's only a museum of antiquities and art. Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvellous than the land." (1.3)
Philip is an Italophile and thinks of himself as an expert on All Things Italian. So when Lilia heads off to visit Italy, Philip is full of helpful travel tips. His advice to go off the beaten track is all well and good, but little does he know that Lilia will take his advice literally when she falls for an Italian country boy.
Quote #2
"I admit she is a Philistine, appallingly ignorant, and her taste in art is false. Still, to have any taste at all is something. And I do believe that Italy really purifies and ennobles all who visit her. She is the school as well as the playground of the world. It is really to Lilia's credit that she wants to go there." (1.33)
Philip praises Italy's ability to transform all those who visit her, even someone as unsophisticated as Lilia. Do you think that it takes a certain kind of person to be transformed by a new culture? Or can a culture change you in ways you never anticipated and thought would never happen?
Quote #3
"No, mother; no. She was really keen on Italy. This travel is quite a crisis for her." He found the situation full of whimsical romance: there was something half attractive, half repellent in the thought of this vulgar woman journeying to places he loved and revered. Why should she not be transfigured? (1.35)
Forster portrays Italy as a country of romance and adventure, an escape from the dull, conventional life in Sawston. Philip is convinced that Italy will be transformative for Lilia and that she'll come back a changed person. Even though Philip is well-traveled, Forster seems to suggest that Philip isn't as open-minded as he pretends to be. Philip's admiration for Italy depends on certain conditions: Italy is great as an idealized experience of passion and art, but things go terribly wrong when Italian values mix with English values.