“Give a man a mask & he will tell you the truth.”
Oscar Wilde
Do I need to do a Post Apocalyptic Bohemian biography of the ulitmate gay icon- Oscar Wilde? Is there anything that I could share that readers have not gleaned from a life of being or knowing a homo?
Over 150 years after his death, Oscar Wilde is still the quintessential homosexual man. As famous for his lust for a peaches & cream twink, as he was for his literary works, his decipherable portrait is the most widely recognized gay symbol after the rainbow.
Born 100 years before me in Dublin in 1854, he became obsessed with beauty from an early age, which became major themes in many of his works. A Picture Of Dorian Gray is fundamentally an ode to the beauty of man, written in an age where homosexuality was a crime punishable with hard labor & imprisonment; it was a brave step on Wilde’s part to write such a novel. Although no actual act of sodomy is mentioned, it is dripping with homoeroticism & innuendoes. His short story The Happy Prince is a story for children & does away with the vulgarity hinted in Dorian Gray, but still stands as story with a metaphor for vanity in gay culture. Wilde was brought to trail in 1895 & sentenced to 2 years hard labor for gross indecency. For a dandy like Wilde, prison was not an easy way of life & he died just 3 years after being release, destitute & debased.
Wilde's legacy still lives on however & history has been kind to him. While not as vital as the icons that apperaed over the next century & a half, he is the role model the intellectual gay, & the depiction of males as beautiful. It remains important that we remember how times have changed since Wilde & his compy frequented the boy brothels of London, & how being gay was graceless. we owe Wilde gratitude for the guts that it took to live his life. I nominate Oscar Wilde for the Biggest Homo Of All Time.
Oscar Wilde
Do I need to do a Post Apocalyptic Bohemian biography of the ulitmate gay icon- Oscar Wilde? Is there anything that I could share that readers have not gleaned from a life of being or knowing a homo?
Over 150 years after his death, Oscar Wilde is still the quintessential homosexual man. As famous for his lust for a peaches & cream twink, as he was for his literary works, his decipherable portrait is the most widely recognized gay symbol after the rainbow.
Born 100 years before me in Dublin in 1854, he became obsessed with beauty from an early age, which became major themes in many of his works. A Picture Of Dorian Gray is fundamentally an ode to the beauty of man, written in an age where homosexuality was a crime punishable with hard labor & imprisonment; it was a brave step on Wilde’s part to write such a novel. Although no actual act of sodomy is mentioned, it is dripping with homoeroticism & innuendoes. His short story The Happy Prince is a story for children & does away with the vulgarity hinted in Dorian Gray, but still stands as story with a metaphor for vanity in gay culture. Wilde was brought to trail in 1895 & sentenced to 2 years hard labor for gross indecency. For a dandy like Wilde, prison was not an easy way of life & he died just 3 years after being release, destitute & debased.
Wilde's legacy still lives on however & history has been kind to him. While not as vital as the icons that apperaed over the next century & a half, he is the role model the intellectual gay, & the depiction of males as beautiful. It remains important that we remember how times have changed since Wilde & his compy frequented the boy brothels of London, & how being gay was graceless. we owe Wilde gratitude for the guts that it took to live his life. I nominate Oscar Wilde for the Biggest Homo Of All Time.
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