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By the twentieth century, it was less and less likely that your parents would determine who you would marry as they had done in Georgian times. The two World Wars liberated people from convention. But for some people – like author E.M. Forster himself – barriers still remained.  Some of the most romantic, heart-rending literature of the twentieth century involves gay protagonists, who still faced insurmountable obstacles to getting together with 'The One'. It often led to great fiction because such a plot has built-in tension.  

Written in 1913-14, Maurice could be only published in 1971, well after its author’s death.  Forster dedicated it to ‘a happier day’. And although the lovers do get happily together, the romance is tinged with sadness for they have to defy society to continue their relationship.