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Maurice

 Maurice
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TVTItem
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Maurice
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Maurice
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Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Set in and written during The Edwardian Era, but not published until after the author's death in The '70s, E. M. Forster's Maurice is a novel about the eponymous character, who is perhaps the most 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.Many years later, Maurice is a Cambridge student, still average, until he happens to meet 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 Anne.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Maurice, upset and more certain than ever that he wants to be "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 under-gamekeeper at Clive's estate, Alec Scudder. 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 Happy Ending, defying the Enforced Trope in literature that any gay relationship had to end in death or tragedy, which is why it was written in 1913 but not published until 1971, a year after the author's death.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })The book had a 1987 Merchant-Ivory film adaptation which was rather good, starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, and Denholm Elliott.
 Maurice
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2022-02-12T07:25:49Z
 Maurice
parsed
2022-02-12T07:25:49Z
 Maurice
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DBTropes
 Maurice / int_1036c075
type
Forceful Kiss
 Maurice / int_1036c075
comment
Forceful Kiss: In the film, Maurice plants one on Clive as the latter is just about to break up with him. They are nearly in a brawl at that very moment, and it ends with Clive having a bleeding lip and Maurice feeling terribly guilty and devastated.
 Maurice / int_1036c075
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Maurice / int_1036c075
 Maurice / int_1c445e86
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Poor Communication Kills
 Maurice / int_1c445e86
comment
Poor Communication Kills: 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.
 Maurice / int_1c445e86
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Maurice / int_1c445e86
 Maurice / int_1d2400e9
type
Green-Eyed Monster
 Maurice / int_1d2400e9
comment
Green-Eyed Monster: Maurice doesn't take his sister's interest in Clive very well.
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Maurice / int_1d2400e9
 Maurice / int_2a8a7ea6
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Bury Your Gays
 Maurice / int_2a8a7ea6
comment
Bury Your Gays: Averted. Also lampshaded by Forster in a 1960 essay about the book. However, a deleted scene from the film had Risley commit suicide after the above mentioned indecency trial.
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Maurice / int_2a8a7ea6
 Maurice / int_2fc21a19
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Distaff Counterpart
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Distaff Counterpart: The 1928 D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley's Lover shares similar themes (like class difference) and both the gamekeepers are based on the same man, but the focus is a woman instead.
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Maurice / int_2fc21a19
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The Edwardian Era
 Maurice / int_34642505
comment
The Edwardian Era: It's set just before the First World War with the feel of a Genteel Interbellum Setting.
 Maurice / int_34642505
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Maurice / int_34642505
 Maurice / int_466ccbb4
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Gayngst
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Gayngst: The entire book features Maurice struggling with the societal prejudices about sexuality and class which he's internalized, and ends with him finally overcoming his doubt and accepting his true nature. Interestingly, what really sets off his Gayngst is his break-up with Clive; up until this point he was pretty content with their relationship. For Clive on the other hand, this is the moment when he basically declares himself straight and thereby ends his Gayngst which he had massively after Risley's trial in the film.
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Maurice / int_466ccbb4
 Maurice / int_48d9e12d
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Funetik Aksent
 Maurice / int_48d9e12d
comment
Funetik Aksent: The book uses this technique to represent Scudder's lower-class speech, as faithfully rendered in the film.
 Maurice / int_48d9e12d
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Maurice / int_48d9e12d
 Maurice / int_4cacfcc3
type
Honey Trap
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comment
Honey Trap: The police arrest Risley for indecency using a young man who pretends to be gay to entrap him.
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Maurice / int_4cacfcc3
 Maurice / int_4f995f60
type
Train-Station Goodbye
 Maurice / int_4f995f60
comment
Train-Station Goodbye: Maurice is sent home after disobeying the dean at Cambridge. Maurice and Clive hold hands until their hands are "ripped from one another".
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Maurice / int_4f995f60
 Maurice / int_557838d1
type
Adaptational Attractiveness
 Maurice / int_557838d1
comment
Adaptational Attractiveness: The novel describes Clive as not a particularly attractive man, compared to Maurice, who 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.
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Maurice / int_557838d1
 Maurice / int_5a365ed2
type
Incompatible Orientation
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comment
Incompatible Orientation: In a way, both Clive/Maurice and Clive/Anne. Maurice loves Clive. Clive's sexual orientation is gay, and he's willing to love Maurice platonically, but he believes that sex between two men is wrong and eventually decides to marry a woman instead.
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Maurice / int_5a365ed2
 Maurice / int_5a40d6a
type
Adaptation Distillation
 Maurice / int_5a40d6a
comment
Adaptation Distillation: The movie adds Risley's indecency trial to provide extra motivation for Clive breaking up with Maurice, and it works pretty seamlessly.
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Maurice / int_5a40d6a
 Maurice / int_5f54a67b
type
Enter Stage Window
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Enter Stage Window: Happens in both of Maurice's relationships. He first climbs into Clive's room and later Scudder climbs into his room.
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 Maurice / int_723606c4
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Adaptational Early Appearance
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Adaptational Early Appearance: In the novel, Scudder is subtly mentioned several times before Maurice actually encounters him. In the film, there is a brief scene early on that only serves to introduce him to the audience as a servant in Clive's house, and call him by name.
 Maurice / int_723606c4
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Maurice / int_723606c4
 Maurice / int_7b7182fe
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Closet Key
 Maurice / int_7b7182fe
comment
Closet Key: In the novel it is explicitly stated that Clive helped Maurice realize his sexuality. In the film, where we get less of a background about Clive's sexuality, it could be interpreted that Maurice is Clive's as well:
 Maurice / int_7b7182fe
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Maurice / int_7b7182fe
 Maurice / int_7d89315b
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"The Reason You Suck" Speech
 Maurice / int_7d89315b
comment
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: 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 truly 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 him, as well as trivializing Maurice's (former) passionate love for him.
 Maurice / int_7d89315b
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Maurice / int_7d89315b
 Maurice / int_83b44e80
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Straight Gay
 Maurice / int_83b44e80
comment
Straight Gay: None of the gay characters, perhaps excluding Risley who has a certain Oscar Wilde vibe about him, are identifiable as such just by their dress or mannerisms.
 Maurice / int_83b44e80
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Maurice / int_83b44e80
 Maurice / int_85557b38
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Reality Is Unrealistic
 Maurice / int_85557b38
comment
Reality Is Unrealistic: Some people have criticized the ending as too unrealistically happy, claiming that it would be impossible for Maurice and Alec to maintain a homosexual and interclass relationship in early 20th century England, but Forster actually based them on real-life couple Edward Carpenter and George Merrill who were able to do just that.
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Maurice / int_85557b38
 Maurice / int_85ca9dab
type
Second Love
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comment
Second Love: Maurice finds love with Alec after loving and being rejected by Clive.
 Maurice / int_85ca9dab
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Maurice / int_85ca9dab
 Maurice / int_88a97dd4
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Stiff Upper Lip
 Maurice / int_88a97dd4
comment
Stiff Upper Lip: Clive's announcement that he is going to faint in the film.
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 Maurice / int_8b442f50
type
Did Not Get the Girl
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comment
Did Not Get the Girl: Despite how much he denies it to himself and to his friend, it seems that Clive is still very much in love with Maurice. This is all the more tragic in the film adaptation where the final scene involves Clive imagining Maurice smiling and beckoning to him back in Cambridge while his wife was right by his shoulder. He stood by the window, beside Anne, not knowing he'll never see his friend again.
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Maurice / int_8b442f50
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type
Virginity Makes You Stupid
 Maurice / int_8e13262d
comment
Virginity Makes You Stupid: Anne never got so much as a "Lie Back and Think of England", making her and Clive's wedding night rather funny.
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Maurice / int_8e13262d
 Maurice / int_975ba595
type
Sleep Cute
 Maurice / int_975ba595
comment
Sleep Cute: In the book, after Maurice and Alec spend a night together in London, it's noted that despite their efforts to sleep on opposite sides of the hotel bed, they nevertheless end up cuddled in each other's arms.
 Maurice / int_975ba595
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Maurice / int_975ba595
 Maurice / int_9ce377f1
type
Cure Your Gays
 Maurice / int_9ce377f1
comment
Cure Your Gays: Maurice goes to a hypnotist to try and turn himself straight, but it fails spectacularly.
 Maurice / int_9ce377f1
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Maurice / int_9ce377f1
 Maurice / int_abdc0b3f
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Held Gaze
 Maurice / int_abdc0b3f
comment
Held Gaze: Happens a few times.
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 Maurice / int_c3286b8e
type
Uptown Girl
 Maurice / int_c3286b8e
comment
Uptown Girl: Gender-inversion. After a failed platonic romance with Clive, Maurice has sex with the under-gamekeeper at Clive's estate. Their class difference even more than their homosexuality is what nearly stops them from pursuing a real relationship.
 Maurice / int_c3286b8e
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Maurice / int_c3286b8e
 Maurice / int_c57293d6
type
Chastity Couple
 Maurice / int_c57293d6
comment
Chastity Couple: Maurice and Clive profess their love for each other, but at Clive's insistence they don't have sex.
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Maurice / int_c57293d6
 Maurice / int_d51158ee
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Revised Ending
 Maurice / int_d51158ee
comment
Revised Ending: There was an "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue written for the book note it sometimes appears in editions of the book, these editions also have looked at the different versions of the manuscipt, however it was cut from the final maunscript which also deletes Maurice's surname. The Epilogue has Maurice's lonely sister Kitty meeting him and Alec 5 years later in the countryside, she like the rest of the family don't know the truth, however she is rude to him, however later on once she realises that he's happy unlike her and wishes him well mentally. However Alec and Maurice chose to leave the area fearing Kitty will get the police.
 Maurice / int_d51158ee
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Maurice / int_d51158ee
 Maurice / int_e28f88b8
type
Last-Name Basis
 Maurice / int_e28f88b8
comment
Last-Name Basis: Alec who is often referred to as Scudder. According to Wikipedia Forster did this to illustrate the idea of class difference. Maurice and Clive also only refer to each other by last name in school 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.
 Maurice / int_e28f88b8
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Maurice / int_e28f88b8
 Maurice / int_ef20dac5
type
Servile Snarker
 Maurice / int_ef20dac5
comment
Servile Snarker: In the movie, the butler Simcox who's serving at the Durhams' estate is this. He seems to be the only one who knows fully well about the relationship between Clive and Maurice, as well as about Alec and Maurice later, and ever again drops subtly venomous comments that barely touch upon the subject and wouldn't be understood by an outsider but are pretty mean to Maurice and Clive. To Alec, he's much more openly contemptuous as he notices the latter's attraction to Maurice:
 Maurice / int_ef20dac5
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 Maurice / int_f64a9cf7
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Earn Your Happy Ending
 Maurice / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: Maurice is hurt by Clive's rejection, spends a lot of time afterwards believing there's something wrong with him, and when he does find another man who loves him back, they almost break up because they're from different classes and afraid of what society will think. Nevertheless, their leap of faith pays off and they become lovers for life.
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Maurice / int_f64a9cf7
 Maurice / int_fec2b522
type
Happy Ending
 Maurice / int_fec2b522
comment
Happy Ending: An essential aspect of the story, and, as stated above, what made it unfit for publication until long after it was written.
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Maurice

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Maurice
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Brain Fever / int_1472270d
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Chastity Couple / int_1472270d
 Maurice
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Closet Key / int_1472270d
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Cure Your Gays / int_1472270d
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Enter Stage Window / int_1472270d
 Matewan
seeAlso
Maurice
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The Edwardian Era / int_1472270d
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Uptown Girl / int_1472270d