At its heart lie two families—the wealthy and business-minded Wilcoxes and the cultured and idealistic Schlegels. Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. Howards End is considered by some to be Forster's … First published in 1910, “Howards End” is E. M. Forster’s classic story regarding social conventions of different strata of English society at the end of the 19th century. Soon to be a limited series on Starz. First published in 1910, Howards End is the novel that earned E. M. Forster recognition as a major writer. A strong-willed and intelligent woman refuses to allow the pretensions of her husband's smug English family to ruin her life. At its heart lie two families—the wealthy and business-minded Wilcoxes and the cultured and idealistic Schlegels. First published in 1910, Howards End is the novel that earned E. M. Forster recognition as a major writer.