You are right I think - it does seem a bit over the top for Lasker Jones. But I suppose it had to go, and Maurice could hardly set it alight himself! I never fail to get angry at Maurice for this, but you know, I doubt Alec would care. If Maurice told him he would say 'well, not to matter Maurice, you're here now'. I feel he's quite a pragmatic man.
The whole of society at that time was precariously balanced on this notion of class and what one could do and not do, so I suppose Maurice is only a reflection of that. Seen from a hundred years later it's very annoying of Maurice, as you say, but, at the time, I think there would have been a lot of consternation about Maurice even contemplating being with Alec in the first place, so his swaying back and forth on the issue wouldn't be as frustrating as it is now.
In fact, I think I read somewhere, that had there been any attempt at publishing, there would have been more of a furore over the class issue than the homosexual part.
At least Maurice calms down in the next chapters and begins to see that Alec is only as scared as himself about the outcome.
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Date: 2009-08-16 09:43 pm (UTC)The whole of society at that time was precariously balanced on this notion of class and what one could do and not do, so I suppose Maurice is only a reflection of that. Seen from a hundred years later it's very annoying of Maurice, as you say, but, at the time, I think there would have been a lot of consternation about Maurice even contemplating being with Alec in the first place, so his swaying back and forth on the issue wouldn't be as frustrating as it is now.
In fact, I think I read somewhere, that had there been any attempt at publishing, there would have been more of a furore over the class issue than the homosexual part.
At least Maurice calms down in the next chapters and begins to see that Alec is only as scared as himself about the outcome.