Forster’s Debate on ‘Kipling Is Not Literature’

Abstract

Forster’s most extended views on imperialism and its politics is found in an unpublished paper he gave to the Weybridge Literary Society in 1913. The paper is rarely quoted, and somehow it has not been given the attention it deserves since Colmer quoted it in his book in 1975. One reason behind this negligence may be due to the fact that Colmer’s reference is not specific enough, for Forster’s papers at the time were not classified to give this paper the bibliographical reference needed. However, now that more work has been done on Forster’s papers over the years following his death this is how the paper is described: ‘A MS of “Kipling’s Poems”, given to the Weybridge Literary Society in 1910 [1910] in Monument Green’ (KCLC, vol. 8/20). Obviously the annotation is quite misleading as it makes no reference whatsoever to the fact that it is a paper by Forster about Kipling’s poems. Besides, the date 1910 is wrong, and the right one is 1913, given in Kirkpatrick’s Bibliography of E. M. Forster. ¹