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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
oh :(
molt ben escrit molt bonic de llegir però també una mica trist però al final el que penso és quina sort viure ara i endavant!
molt ben escrit molt bonic de llegir però també una mica trist però al final el que penso és quina sort viure ara i endavant!
This book is beautiful and way ahead of its time. I didn't like it quite as much as Forster's "A Room With a View" but am so glad I finally read it.
This book is definitely one of my favorites of all time. The story is set in early 20th century England and starts on Maurice's last day attending a private grade school. He is 14 and moving on to a public high school. One of his teachers realizes Maurice's father died and that he probably hasn't had "the talk" about sex since he lives with his mother and two sisters. While taking a celebratory class walk to the beach, the teacher takes him aside and explains babies and love between a man and woman. He finds the discussion boring and says "I think that I shall not marry". Over the next few years, he comes to find that he is not attracted to girls like the other boys at school. Sex and his attraction to boys begins to dominate his thoughts, “… he found himself crossed at an early age by this other desire, obviously from Sodom… He had in him the impulse that destroyed the City of the Plain. It should not ever become carnal, but why had he out of all Christians been punished with it?”
He eventually attends Cambridge and meets Clive, an Greek antiquities student. For two years they are attracted to each other and have a very platonic relationship. Clive tries to kiss Maurice one, but Maurice rejects him and almost immediately regrets it. Eventually, Clive breaks off the relationship and gets married. The reason for Clive's change is not clear, whether it was "gay until graduation", the need for him to carry on his family's legacy and estate, or simply moving deeper into the closet.
The book sheds light on what it was like to be gay in early 20th century England where homosexuality is illegal. Maurice is devastated by the breakup with Clive and seeks to become "normal". He desperately wants to cure his homosexuality and confides to a family friend and physician, Dr Barry: “I’m an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort.” The doctor replies “Rubbish, rubbish!… Now listen to me, Maurice, never let that evil hallucination, that temptation from the devil, occur to you again.” Not the most supportive and understanding doctor! He also tries hypnosis. The psychologist diagnoses him with "congenital homosexuality". He says that 75 percent of his patients are homosexuals, but the success rate in curing the condition is relatively low. The treatment fails on Maurice. The doctor recommends that he move to France or Italy where being gay is not illegal. It's interesting that the doctor treats mostly gay patients, but the narrator says he "...wanted to get on to his next patient, and did not care for Maurice's type." After failing to become "normal", Maurice decides to embrace his gayness and to find others of his type. He aspires to live as Robinhood and the Men of the Greenwood, rebelling against class, laws, and societal norms. By the end of the book, there is hope that Maurice will find happiness in life.
I love books from this era and the writing style. There are so many memorable phrases. It also provides a lot of commentary on the class structure at that time. I can see why the book was not published until after Forster's death. While it contains no explicit sex, the fact that being gay was illegal would have made the book quite scandalous and put Forster in peril as a gay man.
He eventually attends Cambridge and meets Clive, an Greek antiquities student. For two years they are attracted to each other and have a very platonic relationship. Clive tries to kiss Maurice one, but Maurice rejects him and almost immediately regrets it. Eventually, Clive breaks off the relationship and gets married. The reason for Clive's change is not clear, whether it was "gay until graduation", the need for him to carry on his family's legacy and estate, or simply moving deeper into the closet.
The book sheds light on what it was like to be gay in early 20th century England where homosexuality is illegal. Maurice is devastated by the breakup with Clive and seeks to become "normal". He desperately wants to cure his homosexuality and confides to a family friend and physician, Dr Barry: “I’m an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort.” The doctor replies “Rubbish, rubbish!… Now listen to me, Maurice, never let that evil hallucination, that temptation from the devil, occur to you again.” Not the most supportive and understanding doctor! He also tries hypnosis. The psychologist diagnoses him with "congenital homosexuality". He says that 75 percent of his patients are homosexuals, but the success rate in curing the condition is relatively low. The treatment fails on Maurice. The doctor recommends that he move to France or Italy where being gay is not illegal. It's interesting that the doctor treats mostly gay patients, but the narrator says he "...wanted to get on to his next patient, and did not care for Maurice's type." After failing to become "normal", Maurice decides to embrace his gayness and to find others of his type. He aspires to live as Robinhood and the Men of the Greenwood, rebelling against class, laws, and societal norms. By the end of the book, there is hope that Maurice will find happiness in life.
I love books from this era and the writing style. There are so many memorable phrases. It also provides a lot of commentary on the class structure at that time. I can see why the book was not published until after Forster's death. While it contains no explicit sex, the fact that being gay was illegal would have made the book quite scandalous and put Forster in peril as a gay man.
4 stars-
This is a beautiful read, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. It’s not a perfect novel, which is to be expected considering that it was written 60 years before it was published.
That being said, it’s a beautiful story. Probably the first time in modern western literature that we see a gay man as a protagonist that doesn’t turn out to be some kind of devastating tragedy. The plotting is far from perfect and a bit uneven in development (first third was done very well and then it wavers) and the last third could have developed Alec a lot more. But as a character study of Maurice himself, it hits the target and provides a complicated view of his emotions and actions throughout. As a historical artifact it is also fascinating to see how LGBT people were thought of and affected by society in the Edwardian period.
The dedication is heartbreaking. “Dedicated to a Happier Year.” Sad to know that Forster never got to see this novel in the hands of the general public.
This is a beautiful read, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. It’s not a perfect novel, which is to be expected considering that it was written 60 years before it was published.
That being said, it’s a beautiful story. Probably the first time in modern western literature that we see a gay man as a protagonist that doesn’t turn out to be some kind of devastating tragedy. The plotting is far from perfect and a bit uneven in development (first third was done very well and then it wavers) and the last third could have developed Alec a lot more. But as a character study of Maurice himself, it hits the target and provides a complicated view of his emotions and actions throughout. As a historical artifact it is also fascinating to see how LGBT people were thought of and affected by society in the Edwardian period.
The dedication is heartbreaking. “Dedicated to a Happier Year.” Sad to know that Forster never got to see this novel in the hands of the general public.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes