📚JAN 2026 "Maurice" discussion: INTRODUCTION
Original topic subject: JAN 2026 "Maurice" discussion: INTRODUCTION
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1DebiCates
Links to all Maurice threads in this group read:
INTRODUCTION (This thread)
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR (end of novel)
FORSTER'S TERMINAL NOTE
Final Thoughts
If your copy has an Introduction, share your comments below. And/or share an introduction about yourself.
ADDENDUM
See the links at this message for a free online source for reading the novel plus an additional link for a source for Forster's omnibus of short stories that readers here have mentioned.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/376715#9081841
Thank you @elenchus for pointing those out.
INTRODUCTION (This thread)
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR (end of novel)
FORSTER'S TERMINAL NOTE
Final Thoughts
If your copy has an Introduction, share your comments below. And/or share an introduction about yourself.
ADDENDUM
See the links at this message for a free online source for reading the novel plus an additional link for a source for Forster's omnibus of short stories that readers here have mentioned.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/376715#9081841
Thank you @elenchus for pointing those out.
2TonjaE
Edward Morgan Forster was born January 1st 1879, and so it is apt that we open what seems to be a somewhat personal account of aspects from his own life in 'Maurice' today.
Why else would it have been published posthumously? I'm looking forward to this discussion. Forster passed away June 7th, 1970 and the book that he began writing in 1913, finished during 1914 was published 1971, the year after his death.
It is interesting to note that the copyright for 'Maurice' (and perhaps his other works were also but I need to check that) are held by The Provost and Scholars of King's College, Cambridge, England where he spent a good deal of his time.
The wikipedia entry, which can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._M._Forster has a very thorough accounting of his life and career.
Forster's novels are among my very favourites, and there are some wonderful film adaptations for them also... I look forward to our discussions here on a very interesting man and his wonderful works, specifically; Maurice
Why else would it have been published posthumously? I'm looking forward to this discussion. Forster passed away June 7th, 1970 and the book that he began writing in 1913, finished during 1914 was published 1971, the year after his death.
It is interesting to note that the copyright for 'Maurice' (and perhaps his other works were also but I need to check that) are held by The Provost and Scholars of King's College, Cambridge, England where he spent a good deal of his time.
The wikipedia entry, which can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._M._Forster has a very thorough accounting of his life and career.
Forster's novels are among my very favourites, and there are some wonderful film adaptations for them also... I look forward to our discussions here on a very interesting man and his wonderful works, specifically; Maurice
3DebiCates
>2 TonjaE: I'm looking forward to this, too. Everything I've read by Forster has been superb. I was completely absorbed in his non-fiction Aspects of the Novel. He surprised the dickens out of me by writing even some sci fi, the short story The Machine Stops, and some weird fantastical, the short story Story of a Panic. And now this! A novel he wrote but did not intend to be published until after his death.
I'm going to skip reading the Introduction (by P N Furbank in the edition I'll read). I almost always skip them. I liked to dive into the work, allow my own thoughts to form. A few days later after I'm done and thoughts percolated, then read the Introduction.
I'm going to skip reading the Introduction (by P N Furbank in the edition I'll read). I almost always skip them. I liked to dive into the work, allow my own thoughts to form. A few days later after I'm done and thoughts percolated, then read the Introduction.
4TonjaE
>3 DebiCates: I skip the introductions too :) Sometimes I go back to them, mostly they bore me. I have only read the novels so maybe I might have a look for some of his short stories, the scifi writing also surprised me.
5DebiCates
>4 TonjaE: When you have some time, find and read The Machine Stops. It's considered a classic short story and will surprise you. It's as if Forster could see into the future, our present.
6TonjaE
>5 DebiCates: Would you believe I've just added it to my short story challenge after you mentioned it here? I was immediately interested in it :)
7DebiCates
>6 TonjaE: I'm glad I could be of help to your TBR, sure to be toppling if it's anything like mine. What are friends for? 😘
8GregM3
Tonja and Debi, I plan to start reading on Monday. I'll be taking it slow though. To your point Tonja, those Merchant Ivory film adaptions of many of Forster's books are just brilliant! I have read several of his books multiple times, and I have seen many of those films multiple times . . . but somehow this is my very first time reading Maurice! Very excited to finally be getting to it!
9amanda4242
I've pulled my copy of the shelf and will be starting in a couple of days.
10GregM3
>9 amanda4242: I've pulled my copy of the shelf and will be starting in a couple of days
Great Amanda!
Great Amanda!
11StaciaV
I noticed Maurice on this list of classic queer literature:
https://www.advocate.com/books/best-gay-books-all-time#rebelltitem13
I have my copy of Maurice from the library & hope to start it in the next day or two.
https://www.advocate.com/books/best-gay-books-all-time#rebelltitem13
I have my copy of Maurice from the library & hope to start it in the next day or two.
12DebiCates
>11 StaciaV: Written when being gay (anything not hetero, actually) was not only socially unacceptable but also illegal in England where prison sentences were certainly given. That gives this novel a valuable and important perspective. Let's never revert back to those dark days. Never.
I'll be going out of town for a few days. I should start reading on Monday.
I'll be going out of town for a few days. I should start reading on Monday.
13DebiCates
>11 StaciaV: What a great list of titles in that link, Stacia! Some titles that have been on my TBR forever, reminding me that I still want to get to them. I have read a few on the list, including Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, a real favorite of mine and sits on my "permanent" shelf, Death in Venice which I read recently and found so very haunting, then I read Orlando last year, a fantastically brain tickling novel, I cried from a sense of joy at the end, and also learned I was not afraid of Virginia Woolf any longer.
I now have some more to add to my TBR since among those titles are ones I enjoyed so much. I probably couldn't go wrong adding and reading the others.
I now have some more to add to my TBR since among those titles are ones I enjoyed so much. I probably couldn't go wrong adding and reading the others.
14GregM3
>13 DebiCates: I really enjoyed both Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Orlando Debi! I think Orlando is the most "fun" of Woolf's novels; it's so playful with the gender changes and also with the satirical references to other earlier writers. Also, it's less confusing because it only jumps into full stream of consciousness for one part of the novel, and that part of the novel works perfectly along with the shift since it's such a pivotal moment.
Thanks for the link Stacia! I've read 16 of the 25 in the Advocate list, and after Maurice, it will be 17. :) I'm most curious about the Nigerian one (Under the Udala Trees) at the moment - that one I had never heard of before. I wonder if my library system has it?
Thanks for the link Stacia! I've read 16 of the 25 in the Advocate list, and after Maurice, it will be 17. :) I'm most curious about the Nigerian one (Under the Udala Trees) at the moment - that one I had never heard of before. I wonder if my library system has it?
15DebiCates
>14 GregM3: 16 out of 24! Actually, I'm not surprised. You have great reading tastes, Greg. I've given up on 100 best lists, but between the Advocate titles that I had read and the titles I wanted to read, I truly did add almost all the others to my TBR--like I'm going to live another 50 years or something. Oh man. (Wonder if there has been any studies done about longevity and it's relation to the length of a person's TBR. ha!)
Which from the list that you have read would you highly recommend?
Which from the list that you have read would you highly recommend?
16GregM3
>15 DebiCates: I'm not sure which ones you've already read, but two you didn't mention that were superb were Giovanni's Room and Middlesex. Giovanni's Room is exquisitely written and psychologically complex, but it's also quite dark because it accurately reflects the social atmosphere of the time, particularly in how that environment seeped into the characters psychologically and distorted their own conceptions of the world and themselves. It's beautiful, symbolic, and very deep.
It shocks me that Baldwin wrote it in 1956; I have no idea how he was able to perceive his own mental processes and the social fabric so clearly while still living in that moment - it's an impressive feat and also incredibly brave! I read somewhere that his editor pleaded with him not to publish it as they considered it career ending, but of course, Baldwin could never be deterred from doing what he believed was right, even at a young age. Apparently, the book was so controversial in its frank depiction of a gay relationship that congressional figures even scrutinized it as a threat to the "moral order." I have no idea how he avoided obscenity charges, given the way that such charges were misused in those days to persecute people with inconvenient views.
Middlesex I only read once, but I enjoyed that one very much too! Some others I would say I appreciated more than loved; they have a lot of historical and literary importance, no doubt, but in terms of actual enjoyment I think those two were my top ones in addition to the other excellent ones you already mentioned!
It shocks me that Baldwin wrote it in 1956; I have no idea how he was able to perceive his own mental processes and the social fabric so clearly while still living in that moment - it's an impressive feat and also incredibly brave! I read somewhere that his editor pleaded with him not to publish it as they considered it career ending, but of course, Baldwin could never be deterred from doing what he believed was right, even at a young age. Apparently, the book was so controversial in its frank depiction of a gay relationship that congressional figures even scrutinized it as a threat to the "moral order." I have no idea how he avoided obscenity charges, given the way that such charges were misused in those days to persecute people with inconvenient views.
Middlesex I only read once, but I enjoyed that one very much too! Some others I would say I appreciated more than loved; they have a lot of historical and literary importance, no doubt, but in terms of actual enjoyment I think those two were my top ones in addition to the other excellent ones you already mentioned!
17DebiCates
>16 GregM3: Thank you Greg. I appreciate your thoughts and you indeed picked two that I have not read.
I have read one--so shameful it is just one--title by Baldwin, The Fire Next Time and don't think I've ever read anything that was so simultaneously brutally truthful and clearly hopeful. I felt possible redemption, through the fire of truth, after reading it. Wish it was taught in every American school. Definitely, I want to read Giovanni's Room, even more so now with your recommendation.
I had my hands on Middlesex once but somehow decided after a few pages to give it a pass. I used to read focused on subjects I felt connected with me directly. I was looking for further exploration into my own experiences, I suppose. These days, after so much has changed, public other-ing, the struggles and journeys of those wanting merely to be to be on fair footing seems much more connected to me, to us all now. So, with your recommendation and my shift of to wider interests, it's now put back on the TBR, nearer the top.
I have read one--so shameful it is just one--title by Baldwin, The Fire Next Time and don't think I've ever read anything that was so simultaneously brutally truthful and clearly hopeful. I felt possible redemption, through the fire of truth, after reading it. Wish it was taught in every American school. Definitely, I want to read Giovanni's Room, even more so now with your recommendation.
I had my hands on Middlesex once but somehow decided after a few pages to give it a pass. I used to read focused on subjects I felt connected with me directly. I was looking for further exploration into my own experiences, I suppose. These days, after so much has changed, public other-ing, the struggles and journeys of those wanting merely to be to be on fair footing seems much more connected to me, to us all now. So, with your recommendation and my shift of to wider interests, it's now put back on the TBR, nearer the top.
18GregM3
>17 DebiCates: I loved The Fire Next Time Debi! His fiction is very different than his non-fiction but both have the same fierce and honest intelligence behind them.
One warning on Giovanni's Room, the narrator doesn't behave well and some of my friends found him either hard to take or hard to understand, but for me, there's a wealth of subtle psychological detail in the book that shows why he is behaving that way. It isn't acceptable, but it is understandable, if that makes sense? But I guess that's true of all people in different degrees. All of us don't behave perfectly, even though most of us don't want to do harm; there's something inside of us that's making us behave that way, and understanding what is happening inside of us is how we can break the cycle. But sometimes, our understanding of ourselves and the world drifts so much from the reality that those prisons become really hard to escape.
Anyway, I don't want to spoil it, but I do want to prepare you. Giovanni's Room is much darker than I suspect Maurice will end up being. Read it when you're in the mood for a character/sociological study, rather than when you're hoping for a pick-me-up. :)
One warning on Giovanni's Room, the narrator doesn't behave well and some of my friends found him either hard to take or hard to understand, but for me, there's a wealth of subtle psychological detail in the book that shows why he is behaving that way. It isn't acceptable, but it is understandable, if that makes sense? But I guess that's true of all people in different degrees. All of us don't behave perfectly, even though most of us don't want to do harm; there's something inside of us that's making us behave that way, and understanding what is happening inside of us is how we can break the cycle. But sometimes, our understanding of ourselves and the world drifts so much from the reality that those prisons become really hard to escape.
Anyway, I don't want to spoil it, but I do want to prepare you. Giovanni's Room is much darker than I suspect Maurice will end up being. Read it when you're in the mood for a character/sociological study, rather than when you're hoping for a pick-me-up. :)
19DebiCates
>18 GregM3: I will keep that in mind and thank you, Greg. Based on the little I have read by Baldwin, I expect him to make me look at things, hard things, directly. But I'll be sure I'm of the receptive inclination because I want to take away something that isn't just ordinary fare, I want to expect something that will force a reckoning of insights, like those you just described. More truths, even dark ones. Maybe especially dark ones; they are the ones that need light.
20elenchus
>3 DebiCates: and some weird fantastical, the short story Story of a Panic.
That story is included in Forster's collection, The Celestial Omnibus which completely won me over to Forster. Until that point, I'd only seen some of the Merchant-Ivory film adaptations, never reading anything else. I'm curious to read his novels now, and started with Maurice primarily because it was to hand. Thus far, I've not found the very distinctive character from the short stories to appear in his novels, at least not in the same voice. There is much else to read for, of course.
Here's my review of the Omnibus, for anyone curious about the stories there.
That story is included in Forster's collection, The Celestial Omnibus which completely won me over to Forster. Until that point, I'd only seen some of the Merchant-Ivory film adaptations, never reading anything else. I'm curious to read his novels now, and started with Maurice primarily because it was to hand. Thus far, I've not found the very distinctive character from the short stories to appear in his novels, at least not in the same voice. There is much else to read for, of course.
Here's my review of the Omnibus, for anyone curious about the stories there.
21DebiCates
>20 elenchus: That is an excellent review! It is prompting me to search out for some of those short stories to find one for the 26 Short Stories challenge. Forster should be represented! By golly.
I have never been disappointed by him. Surprised, yes, because he does seem to be writing steeped in one view when really there is another where the vibrancy lies. That's his special payload. I have the feeling he lived his outward life like the former, but quietly lived his life richly like the latter. Perhaps that personal tug of war is the source of his stories' tension.
I bet you might specially enjoy his nonfiction On Aspects of the Novel. Now that I've read a tad more of him since I read that, I would like to go back to that work and see if he leaks a little about the power of that duality.
I have never been disappointed by him. Surprised, yes, because he does seem to be writing steeped in one view when really there is another where the vibrancy lies. That's his special payload. I have the feeling he lived his outward life like the former, but quietly lived his life richly like the latter. Perhaps that personal tug of war is the source of his stories' tension.
I bet you might specially enjoy his nonfiction On Aspects of the Novel. Now that I've read a tad more of him since I read that, I would like to go back to that work and see if he leaks a little about the power of that duality.
22StaciaV
>16 GregM3: I'll second Middlesex. I read it many years ago & Cal/Callie is still one of my favorite all-time protagonists.
“Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." I'd like to show how "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" connects with "the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age." I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar." I've never had the right words to describe my life, and now that I've entered my story, I need them more than ever. ”
“Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." I'd like to show how "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" connects with "the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age." I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar." I've never had the right words to describe my life, and now that I've entered my story, I need them more than ever. ”
23DebiCates
>22 StaciaV: I'm sold!
Great quote, Stacia. I'm with Cal/Callie. We need more train-car constructions. Like, chuffed-after-learning-a-new-word-that-suddenly-shows-up-everywhere.
Great quote, Stacia. I'm with Cal/Callie. We need more train-car constructions. Like, chuffed-after-learning-a-new-word-that-suddenly-shows-up-everywhere.
24GregM3
>22 StaciaV: Nice, Stacia! I remember loving Middlesex when I read it.
I wish I didn't have such a rotten memory - I usually have to read books a couple times before they fully sink into my long term memory. But I guess on the upside it lets me enjoy re-reads more.
I'm sure I'll re-read Middlesex at some point.
I wish I didn't have such a rotten memory - I usually have to read books a couple times before they fully sink into my long term memory. But I guess on the upside it lets me enjoy re-reads more.
I'm sure I'll re-read Middlesex at some point.
25GregM3
>20 elenchus: If you liked the Merchant Ivory adaption of Room with a View, you'll like the book. The two are extremely close as the adaption is very faithful. I personally found both of them delightful! I never get tired of them!
26amanda4242
>25 GregM3: If you liked the Merchant Ivory adaption of Room with a View, you'll like the book.
I second that!
I second that!
27GregM3
>20 elenchus: "I'm curious to read his novels now, and started with Maurice primarily because it was to hand. Thus far, I've not found the very distinctive character from the short stories to appear in his novels, at least not in the same voice."
I read the first chapter today, and I'm wondering if because he never published this work in his lifetime, perhaps he didn't spend the same amount of time polishing it? That doesn't mean that I won't enjoy it or even that I will enjoy it less than his other novels that I've read, but it might mean that his distinctive voice is a little more muffled or a little less clear.
I'll comment more in the PART ONE thread.
I read the first chapter today, and I'm wondering if because he never published this work in his lifetime, perhaps he didn't spend the same amount of time polishing it? That doesn't mean that I won't enjoy it or even that I will enjoy it less than his other novels that I've read, but it might mean that his distinctive voice is a little more muffled or a little less clear.
I'll comment more in the PART ONE thread.
28DebiCates
>16 GregM3: >22 StaciaV: re: Middlesex
I was out of town with family this weekend. We stayed at an extra cozy, amenities-rich Airbnb.
This one had books in the bookshelves. Guess what title was there?
Yep. I was tempted to take it home with me, but decided that wasn't cool, although, that might have been their intention, like a Little Free Library. Dunno. Anyway, I about fell out of the very comfortable chair, by a fireplace, admiring the cool Texas art on the wall...when I saw that.
If anyone intends to visit Lubbock, Texas, I can happily give you the address for a wonderful Airbnb.
And if Middlesex isn't there, someone after me took it.
I was out of town with family this weekend. We stayed at an extra cozy, amenities-rich Airbnb.
This one had books in the bookshelves. Guess what title was there?
Yep. I was tempted to take it home with me, but decided that wasn't cool, although, that might have been their intention, like a Little Free Library. Dunno. Anyway, I about fell out of the very comfortable chair, by a fireplace, admiring the cool Texas art on the wall...when I saw that.
If anyone intends to visit Lubbock, Texas, I can happily give you the address for a wonderful Airbnb.
And if Middlesex isn't there, someone after me took it.
29GregM3
>28 DebiCates: The Airbnb sounds lovely Debi - I hope your family had a great time!
I feel sad the holidays are over. It was such a nice break! Now I have to go back to work and face deadlines again. Noooooo!
I feel sad the holidays are over. It was such a nice break! Now I have to go back to work and face deadlines again. Noooooo!
30DebiCates
>29 GregM3: It was an exceptionally good time, Greg. Filled me up with love and happiness.
I'm sorry about the looming deadlines and pressures you must return to. I have a few of my own staring me in the face tomorrow. (Still reconciling end of month, processes that must be done for End of year for me.) Ugh, why can't life be all books, friends, family and especially my amazing grandkids?!
On a whim driving home, I bought some Texas Lotto tickets. Don't laugh. Everyone needs a dream.
I'm sorry about the looming deadlines and pressures you must return to. I have a few of my own staring me in the face tomorrow. (Still reconciling end of month, processes that must be done for End of year for me.) Ugh, why can't life be all books, friends, family and especially my amazing grandkids?!
On a whim driving home, I bought some Texas Lotto tickets. Don't laugh. Everyone needs a dream.
31GregM3
>30 DebiCates: I'm not lucky enough to have grandkids, but I do have the gift of nieces and nephews, and they make life worth living! I support your lotto dreams!! Haha, fingers crossed!
32DebiCates
>31 GregM3: I think nieces and nephews are also excellent elixirs of life. I bet you are their favorite uncle.
Wednesday at 10pm CST, I'll know my whole future. I've got it all plotted out, except the part if I don't win the Lotto. ha
Wednesday at 10pm CST, I'll know my whole future. I've got it all plotted out, except the part if I don't win the Lotto. ha
33elenchus
Suggesting this link be included in the OP as a resource for interested readers:
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL58940654M/Maurice
We've referenced short stories a couple times and there's a Project Gutenberg link for Forster's collection The Celestial Omnibus:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34089/34089-h/34089-h.htm
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL58940654M/Maurice
We've referenced short stories a couple times and there's a Project Gutenberg link for Forster's collection The Celestial Omnibus:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34089/34089-h/34089-h.htm
34DebiCates
>33 elenchus: Thank you! It's been added to the first message for those that might come along later.
I must read his collection of short stories and very glad to know they are readable in the public domain.
I must read his collection of short stories and very glad to know they are readable in the public domain.
35DebiCates
To "finish up" I just read the Introduction by P. N. Furbank. I don't think there is much there I don't know now, after having read the Terminal Note and listening to that excellent BBC program that Amanda shared.
However, there is more in the Introduction, more about the mind and emotions of Forster from bits of conversations and correspondence reported by Furbank. It's funny how even after knowing the hullabaloo about the secrecy required, what his friends thought of it after reading the manuscript (not all were universally bowled over), and the exciting but drawn-out road to publication, still it broadened the picture.
Forster had doubts. It's always a little odd to think of an author of his stature and talent having doubts.
But there you go. He was human. Wonderfully, maddeningly.
However, there is more in the Introduction, more about the mind and emotions of Forster from bits of conversations and correspondence reported by Furbank. It's funny how even after knowing the hullabaloo about the secrecy required, what his friends thought of it after reading the manuscript (not all were universally bowled over), and the exciting but drawn-out road to publication, still it broadened the picture.
Forster had doubts. It's always a little odd to think of an author of his stature and talent having doubts.
But there you go. He was human. Wonderfully, maddeningly.
36elenchus
My edition didn't have that Introduction, I don't think: can't recall much anymore. As you say, having listened to the BBC podcast I feel I've had all I need to get a good picture of Forster's thinking, but I know there's much more to know. If nothing else, what about the original manuscript?!
37DebiCates
>36 elenchus: It would be a major find, elenchus. If it exists.
I was struck by learning the backstory on the novel that 1. He continued revising as late as 1950s or was it 1960s. And 2. He had a number of manuscripts, floating around, that he had to keep track of!
I was struck by learning the backstory on the novel that 1. He continued revising as late as 1950s or was it 1960s. And 2. He had a number of manuscripts, floating around, that he had to keep track of!
38elenchus
A major find, almost at the level of the fabled Hemingway manuscript: single copy, in a suitcase, left on a train. Lost forever. Like, what?!
39DebiCates
>38 elenchus: It's fun to dream about being alive when the story breaks that it was found, eh? Maybe in another forgotten safe at Cambridge?
Have they checked that safe AGAIN? Just to be sure? ha
Have they checked that safe AGAIN? Just to be sure? ha
