A Room with a View - E.M. Forster

Another chapter, another quote. Chapter 5 opens with this dozy

 

This solitude oppressed her; she was accustomed to have her thoughts confirmed by others or, at all events, contradicted; it was too dreadful not to know whether she was thinking right or wrong.

 

Beyond the criticism toward women being brought up to be unable to rely on their own judgment, the extra twist that she feels isolated because she's trying to conceal something she thinks is shameful, and no one realizes. This has so many layers of taught dependence.

 

...

 

After some sideways sticking it to the way foreigners judge from a high and mighty stance, are at best downright condescending and at general make idiots of themselves (a thing he goes over in length on Passage to India), this bit about a female writer, by Miss Bartlett:

 

“She is emancipated, but only in the very best sense of the word,” continued Miss Bartlett slowly. “None but the superficial would be shocked at her. We had a long talk yesterday. She believes in justice and truth and human interest. She told me also that she has a high opinion of the destiny of woman—"

 

*cringe* I can't even begin to enumerate the amount of points to address on that one line.