By Slanted Light

I love this book!

We have a radio show here called Studio 360, and there is a segment on it once in awhile in which someone discusses a movie/book/work of art that changed his or her life. About a year ago, I happened to tune in while someone was talking about the film version of Maurice, and how it had changed his life as a gay man, because he'd never seen a movie about gay men with a happy ending.

So I watched the movie and absolutely *loved* it. Then I read up on the book (as you said, written around 1913 but not published till 1971) and decided to give it a try. Loved it! I realize that some people may not go for the lyrical prose but I really loved Forster's description of what Maurice went through as a young man, trying to figure out who he was, trying to fit in, loving someone who was no good for him and then somehow recovering from that and finding love again.

There is something about the second love story that is not well developed but as a lover of fanfic it's easy to make up stories in my head about how Maurice and Scudder live happily ever after, in spite of the fact that they have class differences, barely know each other and also seem to have some trust issues. (Sadly, there is very little actual fanfic about the book or movie.)

I also went on a bit of an E.M. Forster kick, and read Room with a View (loved it too!) and Howards End (didn't finish it because I had to go back to work, but hope to finish it this summer). His theme of looking outside one's class and doing what's not expected of you, of living life fully, really resonates with me. It's an antidote to the more tragic Edith Wharton-type books in which everyone does what's expected of them and stifles their desires stoically and leads lives of quiet desperation. A bit fluffy and romantic, but what's wrong with that?