#Maurice and Clive

[paris-in-a-whisper]

[batri-jopa]

Maurice by E.M. Forster - Notes by David Leavitt:

The most sustained criticism of Pianola in literature comes in Forster's posthumously published novel Maurice. Here Clive Durham, the boy with whom Maurice falls in love up at Cambridge, is found in chapter six sorting out 'a castle of pianola records' of the march from Tchaikovsky's Pathétique; then, when he goes to play them, a mutual friend tells Maurice, 'You should get away from the machine [Pianola]' - and therefore Clive himself - 'as far as you can'. The Pianola manufactures music in the same way that Clive 'manufactures' heterosexual passion (which consequences less outwardly disastrous for him than for Tchaikovsky). That the way one makes music - or connects to music - signifies one's values in Forster's work is illustrated beautifully when Maurice meets Alec Scudder at Penge: together they move a real piano from under a leak in Clive ancestral home. This instrument, like their relationship, is the genuine article, and worth protecting from the decay of that society. The instrument itself embodies virtue.

[indigomood]

Maurice (1987) dir. James Ivory

[zanephillips]

Maurice (1987) dir. James Ivory

[nottedty33]

my Maurice (1987) fanarts

[batri-jopa]

I love this analysis.

Though for aromantic-asexual person like me it feels a bit shocking to consider sexual intercourse as a first step to the meaningful relationship and not the other way around... But obviously Maurice and Alec were not strangers to each other. And if to look closely - there was in fact great potential for the meaningful relationship between them right from the start, if not for high level of prejudice at Maurice's side. He did realize that "the young man with bright brown eyes" is more attractive in his eyes than any woman around - but on conscious level he rejects the feeling. If it was only same-sex attraction but among his own class - maybe he would feel different about it? Maybe if it was only the lower class problem but not the same-sex - he might act differently? But it was both and so he consciously decided to treat any feeling toward Alec as not only perverted but also degradating to him as gentleman. He forces himself to be either indifferent or angry to any sign of Alec's friendliness (wishing "Happy Birthday", refusing the tip, running to see his car, baling out the boat). Only that his body and his subconsious self knew better and the "Russet Room scene" proved this - it would never happen if he really honestly despised it, right? It proved that any barrier between them was actually only a socially made-up bullshit - but before "British Museum" Maurice still fights to agree with that truth.

Alec's attitude is different. Initially he was not sure about the classes as well (saying few times he "have never come like that to a gentleman before"). But then he works it out much quicker than Maurice: repeating "I come from respectable family", "don't treat me like a dog" and emphasizing their equality at this matter.

As for the "flesh educating the spirit": Alec was much faster to recognize what's really natural and what is not, maybe because he was somehow closer to the nature? He must now gradually teach Maurice to recognize what natural is, even when speaking about swimming: "I was taught I'd be ill if I didn't wet my hair" said Maurice - "Well, you was taught what wasn't the case" answers Alec.

Maurice was more "muddle headed" and it's hard to really blame him for that. As a gentleman all his life he could only believe what he was told. And whoever of his class he would ask - his "tendency" was always said to be unnatural. It sure wasn't helpful that the only other person he knew reciprocating his feelings (Clive) also treated any such body-needs as unnnatural. And then the one-sided "lust" toward Dicky was the final prove for Maurice that what he experiences is nothing but sick.

So it is true that in the Russet Room his body could "teach his spirit" what his actual nature is . Then the doctor also speaks about "accepting human nature". And finally - Maurice gets it clearly when the king and queen are passing before him:

"he despised them at the moment he bared his head. It was as if the barrier that kept him from his fellows had taken another aspect. He was not afraid or ashamed any more. After all, the forest and the night were on his side, not theirs; they, not he, were inside a ring fence."

In other words - Maurice's realizes that his side (and Alec's) is natural order of things while higher class ("king and queen") is not.

When you get so irked by someone saying that "Clive and Maurice were the better romantic pairing because they truly loved each other while Alec and Maurice's relationship was based on nothing but sex" that you end up writing a small essay in a Pinterest comment section (which had to be broken up into 500 word chunks because of Pinterest's word limit).

Anyway, I actually like what I wrote so I wanted to share it here. I didn't say everything I wanted to in the exact way that I wanted to due to the word restrictions, but I think it did the job.

[july-septembre]

part 2 of clive venting on twitter but im too lazy to change the photo of him

[oscarwetnwilde]

Quotes from the movie Maurice (1987) 2/2

[transsexualcoriolanus]

yeah i'd love to bring e.m forster back from the dead to let him know that maurice was published and made into a film and gay people can get married in britain now and stuff, but on the other hand how would we break the news to him that a significant percentage of maurice fans prefer clive to alec from a combination of classism and being horny for hugh grant

[contact-guy]

My humble Holmes and Holmes-related collection of books, featuring some vintage fanfiction and two little figures that someone gave me as a gift

[thefairyfellermasterstroke]

[paris-in-a-whisper]

Of you and the soft sun.

[batri-jopa]

Maurice (1914) by E. M. Forster:

Introducing Clive Durham - the twink

[indigomood]

Maurice (1987) dir. James Ivory

[nattvaa]

[esanguedeborah]

Maurice, (1987) dir. James Ivory