Maurice by E.M. Forster

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I found this book very different from Forster's other works, not only in its subject matter but also in its narrower, phycological focus. The eponymous protagonist is an interesting subject, often described as mediocre, and is certainly not idealized (he is regularly cruel to his mother and sisters). However, as time goes on, he becomes increasingly willing to ignore social convention to live a more authentic life.

The plot concerns Maurice's relationships with two men, and the overwhelming importance they have, given that he will face ruin if his sexuality is revealed. His first partner, Clive, is a snobbish aesthete who insists that they remain celibate in a pastiche of how he imagines Athenian men would have lived. The two are in some ways happy but Clive's intellectual pretensions impose tensions on the relationship that make it fragile.

Later in the book, there is an odd sequence in which Clive visits Greece and has a revelation in which he decides he is not gay after all. He starts to see women in sexual terms, and when returning to England, briefly thinks about marrying Maurice's sister. Those passages seem to be written as if they should be taken seriously, although I found them utterly absurd. They make more sense if interpreted to mean that Clive has deluded himself, although that appears contrary to how they are written. The subsequent exchanges between Maurice and Clive are similarly strained. Clive is willing to retain their friendship after becoming engaged (to a woman); despite his initial upset, Maurice accepts the situation, perhaps indicating that he questions the value of the relationship in retrospect, or perhaps that he understands that he cannot be seen to be publicly angry without risking exposure.

Maurice's second relationship is more vital and seems a lot more like a real relationship. To maintain it, Maurice decides to make dramatic changes to his life, giving the story a happy ending, although one not achieved without cost. Overall, the story is often effectively told, and demonstrates how central sexuality becomes when proscribed. The tone was dreamy but unsentimental, which well accorded with the theme, making it a worthy, although curious addition to Forster's work.



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