Maurice

E.M. Forster

About Time – Written in 1914, about 17 years after Oscar Wilde was released from prison, “Maurice” is “Dedicated to a Happier Year.” The book would not be published for another 57 years, in 1971, following Forster’s death the year before. From the time it was written, it would take 100 years of fierce struggle to make marriage equality law in Illinois, 101 years to make marriage equality law throughout the United States, and nearly a century, too, to make marriage equality law in Forster’s England. The love story, which Forster insisted end happily for two of three main, male characters, was written after “A Room with a View” and “Howard’s End” so Forster was in his prime as a storyteller. The Norton edition I read also includes a “Terminal Note,” written by Forster in 1960. In it, Forster observes “the change (in public attitude) from ignorance and terror to familiarity and contempt” when it comes to homosexuality. What would he say today?