Reading Groups

E. M. Forster’s Summer of Love with Pam Newton

Clear

3 Sessions Wednesdays, 6:30 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT July 8 to August 26, 2026

The Center for Fiction

The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
7/8, 7/29, 8/26
In Person at The Center for Fiction

E. M. Forster (1879–1970) bridged the Edwardian and Modernist literary periods, writing big, story-driven novels that harken back to the 19th-century while also exploring Modernist themes and experimenting with form in subtle ways. Three of his novels, Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), A Room With a View (1908), and Maurice (1971), are unabashed love stories, all chronicling relationships that are thwarted and threatened by outside forces. The story told in Maurice is particularly groundbreaking; it was written in 1914 but published posthumously because Forster did not think the world was ready at the time to read about two men falling in love. Join us as we unpack the nuances of Forster’s lyrical prose and explore the social tensions that intersected with love and romance in early-20th-century England.

Reading List:

Session I: Where Angels Fear to Tread
Session II: A Room with a View
Session III: Maurice

What to expect from this reading group: Expect more of a conversation than a lecture, with context and guided exploration from the facilitator.

We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for our Reading Groups and Writing Workshops, covering 50% of tuition. Applicants selected for scholarships will be notified one week prior to the first meeting. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out this form.

Pricing inclusive of sales tax if applicable.

Led by

Pam Newton

Pam Newton

Pam Newton teaches writing in the English department at Yale University and is a freelance magazine writer. Her articles, mostly personal essays and art/culture journalism, have appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, Time Out New York, the Huffington Post, American Theatre, the National Book Review, LitHub, and elsewhere. She has taught writing and literature for many years to a wide range of ages, including a decade teaching in the Humanities faculty at Cooper Union and directing the Writing Fellows program there. She has a B.A. in Drama from Northwestern University and an M.A. in English Literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

Groups+Workshops

More Groups+Workshops

Groups+Workshops