Risley is an undergraduate with Maurice at Cambridge. Forster describes Risley as using “unmanly” superlatives and says that he speaks with exaggerated gestures. Risley shares the secret that he is gay more freely than Clive or Maurice do, and Maurice is trying to find Risley when he first meets Clive, who is in Risley’s room. Risley is also the person who tells Maurice about hypnotism.
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Risley Character Timeline in Maurice
The timeline below shows where the character Risley appears in Maurice. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...Dean, Mr. Cornwallis, along with a fellow former Sunningtonian, Chapman, and a cousin of Cornwallis, Risley. Risley makes exaggerated gestures when he speaks and uses strong but “unmanly” superlatives. Chapman is...
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Chapter 6
Maurice devises a plan to see “this queer fish” Risley again. Taking inspiration from Risley, who has stirred Maurice incomprehensively, Maurice plans to break convention...
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Chapter 12
At Cambridge, Clive developed feelings for other undergraduates, and in his second year, he met Risley, who was also “that way.” Risley shared that secret rather freely, though Clive did not...
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Chapter 32
...society and the law. He goes to see a Tchaikovsky symphony, where he runs into Risley, who tells him that Tchaikovsky fell in love with his own nephew. Later, Maurice will...
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