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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will always stan hard for A Room with a View, but Maurice runs a very close second. Just so good. I would like to clutch E.M. Forster to my heart.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
A beautiful book with layers of meaning hidden within the prose! A pleasure to read even for someone, like me, who tends to shy away from older novels in such a style. Forster is more plain with his words than many other writers of the era (that I've read, anyway, which admittedly isn't many). And the sincerity of his emotion is clear.
I read an article about Maurice, written in 2013, that ended thusly:
"But Forster makes clear that a life of real connection and intimacy takes guts, and if you want to find a friend you must be willing to face a leopard."
It pretty well sums up the main theme of the book from a modern perspective, talking about protecting private spaces, spaces where one can live truly as oneself without outside judgement and prying eyes. The only other Forster story I've ever read (which is one of my fave short stories ever) is "The Machine Stops", and it shares some things thematically with Maurice, even though the stories themselves couldn't be more different. The value Forster places on the wilderness, on private places, is clear in both narratives, as is his disdain for social approval of one's lifestyle, or intrusions into one's private life.
I read an article about Maurice, written in 2013, that ended thusly:
"But Forster makes clear that a life of real connection and intimacy takes guts, and if you want to find a friend you must be willing to face a leopard."
It pretty well sums up the main theme of the book from a modern perspective, talking about protecting private spaces, spaces where one can live truly as oneself without outside judgement and prying eyes. The only other Forster story I've ever read (which is one of my fave short stories ever) is "The Machine Stops", and it shares some things thematically with Maurice, even though the stories themselves couldn't be more different. The value Forster places on the wilderness, on private places, is clear in both narratives, as is his disdain for social approval of one's lifestyle, or intrusions into one's private life.
4.25 stars
This is the first book I've read by E.M. Forster and I liked it a lot. The characters were wonderfully flawed, the prose was beautiful but also accessible. It all felt sort of... understated.
Although it has a happy ending, it is a bit of a heartbreaking book. The way left me feeling very depressed.
I only wish there was more attention given to But this was wonderful.
This is the first book I've read by E.M. Forster and I liked it a lot. The characters were wonderfully flawed, the prose was beautiful but also accessible. It all felt sort of... understated.
Although it has a happy ending, it is a bit of a heartbreaking book. The way
Spoiler
Clive decides to live as a straight man, and the way Maurice tries to "cure" himselfI only wish there was more attention given to
Spoiler
the relationship between Maurice and Alec
gonna dnf this. sadly not for me. just didn’t click with forster‘s writing. maybe at some point i‘ll pick it up again
Je tardais à lire ce roman bien qu'il soit majeur dans la littérature dite homosexuelle. Écrit avant guerre en 1913 mais publié qu'en 1971 a titre posthume, le texte porte tous les stigmates de l'époque : une écriture classique sur une période puritaine et enfermée dans un carcan religieux et moral.
Ce genre de littérature dans laquelle nous suivons des personnages de la petite bourgeoisie, où l'on converse par télégramme envoyé par cheval a travers les grands manoirs, ÇA M'EMMERDE.
Et malheureusement, ça n'y manque pas, a certains endroits je me suis ennuyé. C'est une question de goût je n'aime pas cette période, mais je peux pas reprocher a Forster de nous raconter sa propre vie, puisque le texte est largement autobiographique.
Clive a une attirance pour Maurice, Maurice de rend compte que lui aussi, puis Clive n'aime plus Maurice et il n'aime plus les hommes. Maurice reste amoureux de Clive. Maurice n'aime plus Clive. Maurice est vraiment HOMOSEXUEL.
Voilà en gros le résumé du livre. Aucun accroc, tout se lit très bien, ce n'est pas ampoulé ou marqué à outrance par de longues phrases, c'est beau et bien écrit. Malheureusement, les personnages manquent de développement ou d'approfondissement a mon gout et paraissent au mieux impulsifs, au pire incompréhensibles et dédaigneux. Leur bourgeoise n'aide pas.
En contextualisant le titre, je comprends sa force évocatrice. Le passage de l'amour adolescent a la sexualité adulte est plutôt bien retranscrit, les thématiques sont là : de la découverte a l'acceptation en passant par les thérapies de conversion (ici l'hypnose) mais il me manquera le petit plus Periglioni pour pleinement aimer ces personnages et cette histoire.
Ce genre de littérature dans laquelle nous suivons des personnages de la petite bourgeoisie, où l'on converse par télégramme envoyé par cheval a travers les grands manoirs, ÇA M'EMMERDE.
Et malheureusement, ça n'y manque pas, a certains endroits je me suis ennuyé. C'est une question de goût je n'aime pas cette période, mais je peux pas reprocher a Forster de nous raconter sa propre vie, puisque le texte est largement autobiographique.
Clive a une attirance pour Maurice, Maurice de rend compte que lui aussi, puis Clive n'aime plus Maurice et il n'aime plus les hommes. Maurice reste amoureux de Clive. Maurice n'aime plus Clive. Maurice est vraiment HOMOSEXUEL.
Voilà en gros le résumé du livre. Aucun accroc, tout se lit très bien, ce n'est pas ampoulé ou marqué à outrance par de longues phrases, c'est beau et bien écrit. Malheureusement, les personnages manquent de développement ou d'approfondissement a mon gout et paraissent au mieux impulsifs, au pire incompréhensibles et dédaigneux. Leur bourgeoise n'aide pas.
En contextualisant le titre, je comprends sa force évocatrice. Le passage de l'amour adolescent a la sexualité adulte est plutôt bien retranscrit, les thématiques sont là : de la découverte a l'acceptation en passant par les thérapies de conversion (ici l'hypnose) mais il me manquera le petit plus Periglioni pour pleinement aimer ces personnages et cette histoire.
This is a really beautiful little novel with a repressed history and not nearly as much exposure as it should get. E.M. Forster writes a homosexual Edwardian love story and because of it's subject matter, the book isn't published until after his death. Reading Forster's own notes on the novel is also really interesting and I recommend those along with the book. And there's a happy ending of sorts, which always makes everything better.
This is probably the best novel I've read about being an (I quote) "unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde kind". It's a rich portrait of characters struggling with their sexuality and their position in early 20th century English society. Everyone is a posh cunt, but a deeply troubled posh cunt. The writing is snappy and full of expertly crafted scenes. There's romance and sensuality, scathing social critique and satire, some really poetic aphorisms, and a great story to boot.
This book was written in the 1910s (and only published after the author's death) so it very much reads like a period piece. I found this really entertaining (characters say stuff like "oh, balls!") but also indicative of the novel’s genius. Despite being written over 100 years ago, the book offers a deeply empowering take on its subject matter that's direct and touching even for modern audiences.
A true queer lit classic. I wholeheartedly recommend
This book was written in the 1910s (and only published after the author's death) so it very much reads like a period piece. I found this really entertaining (characters say stuff like "oh, balls!") but also indicative of the novel’s genius. Despite being written over 100 years ago, the book offers a deeply empowering take on its subject matter that's direct and touching even for modern audiences.
A true queer lit classic. I wholeheartedly recommend