`Author:` Zadie Smith `Availability:` > [!info] > ## Summary ## Key Takeaways **On Beauty (2005) – Intellectual and Romantic Tensions** Inspired by **E.M. Forster’s Howards End** (which itself was influenced by _[[Middlemarch]]_), _On Beauty_ examines how **intellectual ideals shape [[Relationships]]**, sometimes more than passion does. **Synopsis:** • The novel follows **two rival academic families**: the liberal **Belseys**, led by white British professor Howard Belsey, and the conservative, black, Trinidadian **Kipps [[Family]]**, led by Monty Kipps. • Howard, an **art history professor**, is deeply cynical about beauty and traditional aesthetics, whereas Monty champions conservative values and the power of [[Art]]. • The Belsey marriage is **intellectually rich but emotionally strained**, as Howard’s commitment to rationalism and rejection of beauty **creates distance between him and his wife, Kiki**. • Kiki, though intellectually engaged, **longs for emotional and physical connection**, something Howard struggles to provide. • Their children navigate their own conflicts between **intellectual ambition and personal [[Relationships]]**, mirroring their parents’ struggles. **Key Themes:** • **The limits of intellectual compatibility in marriage:** Howard and Kiki’s marriage shows that intellectual connection alone cannot sustain [[Knowledge/Love]] when emotional warmth is missing. • **The failure of purely rational relationships:** Howard’s inability to appreciate beauty, emotion, and [[Intuition]] **undermines his relationships**. • **How different kinds of love coexist:** While intellectual companionship is central to the novel, it also highlights how love **needs emotional generosity to survive**. 💡 **Connection to Eliot:** Like _Middlemarch_, _On Beauty_ critiques relationships that lack true emotional and intellectual balance. Dorothea Brooke’s misguided marriage to Casaubon mirrors Kiki and Howard’s dynamic—where one partner’s rigid intellectualism suffocates the other. ## Quotes - ## Notes ![[Beauty & The Beast.jpg]] `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` [[Books index]]