Considered by many to be Forster's masterpiece, "Howards End" was ranked 38th in the Modern Library listing of the best English novels of the 20th century. Interplaying characters from three very different families, Forster beautifully defines the conditions of class, culture, gender roles and politics that were prevalent in the years before World War I, sensitively exploring themes of connection, the seen and the unseen, and the essential proportion of inner and outer life.