Western Sensibilities in Roman Chaos: The Italian Characters of James, Forster, and Lawrence

Abstract

The American and British have actively traveled to Italy since the late 17th century. The Grand Tours popularized by the British Upper Class in the 18th Century were fictionalized by many authors and led to a fascination with Italian culture. The novels that emerged about this country by authors such as E.M. Forster, Henry James and D.H. Lawrence focused on characters that were often hesitant to explore Italian culture. Three particular archetypes stand out in their writing: the corrupted foreigner, the female foreigner and the rare culturally engaged foreigner. This study explores each of these archetypes and their specific influence on this canon of literature. These works are still relevant to modern society and the continued difficulty of understanding people unlike ourselves.