Oscar Wilde was a pederast

For decades, Woody Allen was immune to almost any and all accusations against him because of Annie Hall. He was even forgiven for every film since. But at present his own genius opt-out appears to be up for reconsideration because of fresh claims about long-ago aspects of his private life. It is a familiar problem. At various times in recent decades, Oscar Wilde’s reputation has again teetered on a ledge for similar reasons. Today, when anybody mentions the rent boys and their age, defenders of Wilde understandably stress their counter-arguments. In truth, it has simply become recognised that we cannot do without the greatest comedies in the English language. So small evasions are permitted.

But it is a messy moral business. Until John Bridcut settled the matter a decade ago, Benjamin Britten seemed always to be at risk of a Michael Jackson-like fall. In fact, his own relationships with children turn out never to have crossed over any physical line. But there was definitely a sense of near-terror around the subject for many years.

Douglas Murray in today's Unherd. He goes on to discuss Eric Gill, whose stations of the cross in Westminster Cathedral are so beautiful despite his horrible behaviour, and Michael Jackson, whom the BBC has now decided not to play. I cannot see why they should do that. Verlaine, as Charles Moore pointed out recently, is still read, though a self-declared pederast (a homosexual who interferes with boys). Laurence Durrell's daughter said he raped her in her suicide note. 

William Mayne, the children's writer, seduced or raped under age girls and was sent down for it. I remember a woman writer I knew saying she could never read him again, after knowing that, and asking if that were a reasonable reaction.

Then there is Plato - and all the Greeks. The ancient Greeks, I mean.

I am pleased that I am not the only one who noticed that Wilde was a pederast. I wrote about this here and here.

We do seem keen in our culture on banning things or stigmatising them, more than the Victorians even though we tend not to ban and stigmatise the same things as the Victorians. Though on pederasty modern thinkers and Victorian propriety are in agreement.