Is “Maurice” a hopelessly flawed text, or a thoughtful adaptation of the novel form to the subject matter and a strong intervention in debates of the time?

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

9 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

09/25/2008

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction.
Forster's self proclaimed significance of the novel as a symbol of the future.
The depiction of a homosexual future as a return from an idealistic past.
The problem of literary history in Forster's aspects of the novel.
Maurice's subversion of the traditional sequence.
The pre-existing societal models of family and its dictates for Maurice.
Maurice and Scudder's meeting in London.
Conclusion.

Abstract

E.M Forster dedicated his novel "maurice" to a "happier year", affirming his intention of the novel's purpose as an insight into the future evolution of sexual desire and relationships, leading some to attach significance to the text as a protagonist of controversial debate of the time . Forster delayed publication of maurice for 57 years waiting for a time where wider concepts of desire could be explored without recrimination . Indeed, it has been argued that the novel was self-prophetic in predicting experiences Forster had not had himself, who later described his own sex life within the framework that maurice had provided. Forster's autobiographical parallels with maurice has fuelled debate as to whether the novel was significant as "a strong intervention in debates of the time" or alternatively a "hopelessly flawed" text.