Apparently this was one of the first novels to slip direct sexual references past the Victorian censors. In Victorian terms that must have been very shocking, but the dire consequences that attend upon illicit sex more than compensate for any perceived onslaught on Victorian values. Moore, however, treads a fine line: this isn’t a standard morality tale. Moore upholds sexual continency, duty and hard work, but he is cautious in allowing either society or religion to be the proper arbiters of these standards.
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A Rat in the Book Pile 