“Today you must imagine you are a Greek”: Tourism and the Classical Past in E. M. Forster’s “Albergo Empedocle” and “The Classical Annex”

This article examines two of E. M. Forster’s short stories, “Albergo Empedocle” and “The Classical Annex,” which suggest that there are certain historically-charged environments where the Classical pagan past may intrude into the modern world, with devastating results. It argues that “Albergo Empedocle,” as Forster’s first published piece of short fiction, foreshadows two themes to which he repeatedly returned: cultural tourism and homosexuality. The analysis of the two stories reveals Forster’s critique of the tourist industry, including the pressure to have “experiences” when visiting museums or archaeological sites and the heritage industry’s refusal to acknowledge homoerotic elements in ancient Greek art. By comparing the two stories, written thirty years apart, it is also possible to trace Forster’s changing attitude towards his own homosexuality and his eventual rejection of the model of chaste “Platonic” same-sex relationships which had been in vogue during his time as a Classics undergraduate at Cambridge.