History Literature / Maurice

* LastNameBasis: Alec who is often referred to as Scudder. According to the TheOtherWiki Forster did this to illustrate the idea of class difference. Maurice and Clive also only refer to each other by last name in school [[spoiler:until they accept that they've fallen in love. The last paragraph of the last chapter of Part One is them saying each other's first names.]]

Set in TheEdwardianEra, E.M. Forster's ''Maurice'' is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most [[OverlyLongGag middle-of-the-road, ordinary, unexceptional, run of the mill, average]] middle-class Englishman you can imagine, except that he's attracted to men. This is a big problem, because back then homosexuality was punished as a crime and condemned by society. The book begins with an awkward "all you need to know about sex" talk delivered by a teacher to him as a young boy, setting the tone of heteronormativity and the psychological constraints that Maurice will spend most of the book trying to escape.

Maurice, upset and more certain than ever that he wants to be "[[CureYourGays cured]]", sees a family friend, Dr. Barry, who tells Maurice he's talking rubbish and closes the subject. After some time passes, Maurice tries seeing a hypnotist, who tells him there's a small chance he can be cured, but that they can try. Maurice mucks this up phenomenally shortly thereafter by having sex with the [[MrFanservice under-gamekeeper]] at Clive's estate, Alec Scudder. [[LastNameBasis Scudder]] is in fact moving to Argentina in a week, but because Maurice is infatuated, he does his best to persuade Scudder to stay in England, willing to give up his job and social status in order for them to be together. Surprisingly, it has a HappyEnding, no [[BuryYourGays deaths]] or [[{{Gayngst}} angst]], which is why though written in 1913, it was published in 1971, posthumously.

* {{Gayngst}}: Though the ending avoids it the entire book features Maurice trying to overcome both society's and his own prejudice concerning sexuality (and class) in attempt to accept his homosexuality. It's just that territory.

[[caption-width-right:293:Sexuality clearly not being the only issue here.]]

Set in TheEdwardianEra, E.M. Forster's ''Maurice'' is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most [[OverlyLongGag middle-of-the-road, ordinary, unexceptional, run of the mill, average]] middle-class Englishman you can imagine, except that he's homosexual, at a time when that was literally a crime. The book begins with an awkward "all you need to know about sex" talk delivered by a teacher to him as a young boy, setting the tone of heteronormativity and the psychological constraints that Maurice will spend most of the book trying to escape.

* ChastityCouple: Maurice and Clive.

* CureYourGays: Maurice goes to a hypnotist to try to change. Fails spectacularly.

* SecondLove: Maurice's relationship with Alec.

* StraightGay: All the gay characters, excluding Risley.

* EarnYourHappyEnding

* HoneyTrap: Risley falls into one.
* IncompatibleOrientation: In a way, both Clive/Maurice and Clive/Anne.

Set in TheEdwardianEra, E.M. Forster's ''Maurice'' is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most [[OverlyLongGag middle-of-the-road, ordinary, unexceptional, run of the mill, average]] middle-class Englishman you can imagine, except that he's homosexual, at a time when it was literally a crime. The book begins with an awkward "all you need to know about sex" talk delivered by a teacher to him as a young boy, setting the tone of heteronormativity and the psychological constraints that Maurice will spend most of the book trying to escape.

Set in TheEdwardianEra, E.M. Forster's ''Maurice'' is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most [[OverlyLongGag middle-of-the-road, ordinary, unexceptional, run of the mill, average]] middle-class Englishman you can imagine, and also homosexual. The book begins with an awkward "all you need to know about sex" talk delivered by a teacher to him as a young boy, setting the tone of heteronormativity and the psychological constraints that Maurice will spend most of the book trying to escape.

Set in TheEdwardianEra, E.M. Forster's ''Maurice'' is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most [[OverlyLongGag middle-of-the-road, ordinary, unexceptional, run of the mill, average]] middle-class Englishman you can imagine, and also homosexual. The book begins with an awkward "all you need to know about sex" talk delivered by a teacher to him as a young boy, setting the tone of heteronormativity and the pyschological constraints that Maurice will spend most of the book trying to escape.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/homoeroticimplicationsasidewouldyoulikeafag_2802.jpg[[caption-width:293:Sexuality clearly not being the only issue here.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: In hindsight, the misunderstanding between Maurice and Alec after their night together could have been avoided if Maurice had answered Alec's letters and admitted the feeling was mutual, therefore preventing Alec's unnecessary attempt to scare him by threat of blackmail. Granted, Maurice had every right to be nervous about starting a relationship (since Alec "could" have ratted him out if he wanted to), but he should have at least responded to Alec as a sign of courtesy.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Actually more of an interesting inversion in the movie. The novel describes Clive as not a particularly attractive man. Maurice, while still being the "average" Englishman, is referred to as being handsome by both his family and Clive himself. In the movie, Clive is played by Hugh Grant, who is quite attractive on-screen.

* BiTheWay: Alec, in the novel, explicitly states that he "cares for" both men and women.
** It's actually hinted at when Maurice sees him flirting with two maids while returning to Penge post-Clive's marriage; in fact, he actually envies Alec's
ability to interact with the maids so easily, especially since he found those women to be very unattractive.

* LastNameBasis: Alec who is often refered to as Scudder. According to the TheOtherWiki Forster did this to illustrate the idea of class difference. Maurice and Clive also only refer to each other by last name in school [[spoiler:until they accept that they've fallen in love. The last paragraph of the last chapter of Part One is them saying each other's first names.]]

*It's actually hinted at when Maurice sees him flirting with two maids while returning to Penge post-Clive's marriage; in fact, he actually envies Alec's

•It's actually hinted at when Maurice sees him flirting with two maids while returning to Penge post-Clive's marriage; in fact, he actually envies Alec's ability
to interact with the maids so easily, especially since he found those women to be very unattractive.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Actually more of an interesting inversion in the movie. The novel describes Clive as not a particularly attractive man. Maurice, while still being the "average" Englishman, is referred to as being handsome by both his family and Clive himself. In the movie, Clive is played by [[Creator Hugh Grant]], who is quite attractive on-screen.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Actually more of an interesting inversion in the movie. The novel describes Clive as not a particularly attractive man. Maurice, while still being the "average" Englishman, is referred to as being handsome by both his family and Clive himself. In the movie, Clive is played by [[Creator/Hugh Grant]], who is quite attractive on-screen.

* It's actually hinted at when Maurice sees him flirting with two maids while returning to Penge post-Clive's marriage; in fact, he actually envies Alec's ability to interact with the maids so easily, especially since he found those women to be very unattractive.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Maurice basically gives one to Clive at the end of the novel. He criticizes him for being so preoccupied with maintaining his social status that he probably doesn't know if he loves Maurice or Anne. He also gets on Clive for trying to convince him to deny his homosexuality, despite the agony that it's clearly caused Maurice.

* AdaptationDistillation: The movie adds [[UpperClassWit Risley]]'s indecency trial to provide extra motivation for Clive breaking up with Maurice, and it works pretty seamlessly.

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Avoided by shooting but ultimately dropping the scene in which Maurice attempts a very clumsy seduction of Dr Barry's nephew Dickie Barry. In the novel the passage is darkly funny in typical Forster fashion, mainly because of role reversal: Maurice is extremely desperate and horny, but at the same time fears rejection (acting more a like a teenager), while Dickie is calm, not entirely disinclined to the idea and perhaps more worried about them getting caught and other practicalities. In the DVD deleted scenes, Dickie is portrayed as perhaps a bit too wide-eyed and innocent, making the scene more uncomfortable than funny.

Many years later, Maurice is a Cambridge student, still average, until he happens to meet [[UpperClassTwit Clive Durham]], who becomes his best friend. Clive eventually confesses his love to Maurice, hoping that Maurice will understand thanks to reading {{Plato}}. He doesn't. However, after some time to think, Maurice realizes that he loves Clive and they make up, leading to a happy relationship for the next two years. Unfortunately, Clive, who was adamant that their relationship be completely sexless, eventually starts siding more with society's views of homosexuality and decides to drop Maurice and get married to [[VirginityMakesYouStupid Anne]].

* LastNameBasis: Alec who is often refered to as Scudder. According to the TheOtherWiki Forster did this to illustrate the idea of class difference.

* {{Oxbridge}}: The perfect location for a homo-romantic relationship between school fellows that is [[BridesheadRevisited doomed to fail]].

* AllGaysArePedophiles: Avoided in Maurice by shooting but ultimately dropping the scene in which Maurice attempts a very clumsy seduction of Dr Barry's nephew Dickie Barry. In the novel the passage is darkly funny in typical Forster fashion, mainly because of role reversal: Maurice is extremely desperate and horny, but at the same time fears rejection (acting more a like a teenager), while Dickie is calm, not entirely disinclined to the idea and perhaps more worried about them getting caught and other practicalities. In the DVD deleted scenes, Dickie is portrayed as perhaps a bit too wide-eyed and innocent, making the scene more uncomfortable than funny.