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Title: Essential Queer Lit
Review: The politics of the book's release and Forster's own closeted life have to be considered outside of the actual book. As a work of literature, "Maurice" has always been a favorite of mine. Certainly, it gives a true and honest account of what it must have been like to live as a shadow in society if you were a gay man in early 20th century England. I believe that many reviewers have mistaken Forster's penchant for illustrating "the muddle" (see Mr. Emerson's final speech in "A Room with a View") of his characters as his dislike of them. As with almost all of his other novels, the hero of the story isn't actually heroic until the end, when the muddle is lifted.In all events, "Maurice" is an engaging and delightfully unsentimental love story. To this day, I can promise that nearly every gay man can easily see a part of his youth adequately reflected in Maurice.
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