Students explore the theme of modernity and the changing roles of women in twentieth-century London as they view this scene from the 2020 MASTERPIECE adaptation of E. M. Forster’s novel Howards End. London was undergoing rapid change during the first years of the twentieth century: traditional cultures and values were changing, and women were gaining independence and forming progressive ideas. In this scene, the shifting role of women in society becomes evident when a younger Margaret Schlegel and an older Ruth Wilcox take part in a lively luncheon conversation. Students observe how the younger and older generations approach the conversation and share their views on a woman’s place in the early twentieth century.