Review: Maurice

Maurice by E.M. Forster

Maurice by E.M. Forster (1971)
246 pages
Main Characters: Maurice Hall, Clive Durham, Alec Scudder
Plot Synopsis: Set in the elegant Edwardian world of Cambridge undergraduate life, this story by a master novelist introduces us to Maurice Hall when he is fourteen. We follow him through public school and Cambridge, and on into his father’s firm, Hill and Hall, Stock Brokers. In a highly structured society, Maurice is a conventional young man in almost every way, “stepping into the niche that England had prepared for him”: except that his is homosexual.
Setting: England

I absolutely loved this book!  I had never heard of it and actually saw the film several months before so was determined to read the book after that.  To be honest I was anticipating a huge, 400 page classic that might be a bit dry but it was nothing like that. It was quite short and easy to read with chapters that weren’t too long and the plot wasn’t veiled by too many details or euphemisms.  I had been a bit worried that I wouldn’t understand the plot had I not seen the film but I’m sure that I would have because the writing was quite clear.

Anyway, if you’ve seen the film then you probably already know the plot.  The adaptation is very true to the book but of course the book is better!  I’ve never read anything by Forster before but I did enjoy his writing style and A Passage to India is the next book I think I will read by him.

Some of the passages I enjoyed are as follows:

When Maurice receives a letter: The letter was beastly long.  The blood began pounding over his body as he unfolded it, but his head kept cool, and he managed to read it as a whole, not merely sentence by sentence. (pg. 216)  Have you ever received a letter and had that feeling?  I know I have and I think Forster captured that feeling of anticipation perfectly.

About Maurice and Alec: They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death.  But England belonged to them.  That, besides companionship, was their reward.  Her air and sky where theirs, not the timorous millions’ who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls. (pg. 239)  This passage has so many layers to it.  It expresses the unfortunate circumstances that two men in love were pushed into by society.  To be true to themselves they would be forced to live outside of the world, yet at the same time it is clear that this is possible, it’s just the path less chosen.  Also, by doing what was unconventional they found their own freedom because they were braver than those who live in “stuffy little boxes” and never take any risks in life.

I won’t spoil the plot for you but this book is definitely worth reading and was way ahead of its time.  I can’t believe it was written from 1913-14 and wasn’t published until 1971!  I also love what Forster said about Maurice and that despite being “handsome, healthy, bodily attractive, mentally torpid, not a bad businessman and rather a snob” he has an “ingredient that puzzles him, wakes him up, torments him and finally saves him.”

My Rating: ★★★★☆