The love that dare not speak its name
The love that dare not speak its name is a phrase from the poem "Two Loves" by Lord Alfred Douglas, published in 1894. It was mentioned at Oscar Wilde's gross indecency trial, and it is classically interpreted as a euphemism for homosexuality (although Wilde denied it as such[1]) or a typically taboo preference or practise.[2]
In Wilde's definition, "the love that dare not speak its name" was:
[...] such a great affection of an elder for a younger man [...] There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual, and it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man, when the elder man has intellect, and the younger man has all the joy, hope and glamour of life before him.[3][4]
Some authors have suggested this speech was referring to paederasty.[5]
See also
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- The Love That Dares to Speak Its Name, a 1976 poem by James Kirkup.
References
- ↑ "The love that dare not speak its name". phrases.org.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ Google Definitions
- ↑ "Testimony of Oscar Wilde". law2.umkc.edu. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ↑ See also Ellmann (1988:435)
- ↑ The Importance of Being Earnest. eBookEden.com. 1946. p. 8.
Under cross examination Wilde presented an eloquent defense of pederasty