Then and Now

By referencing the Ancient Greeks, and other societies in which pederasty existed, Wilde historically grounds himself. While the individuals who are prosecuting him in court may not have known explicitly what we read in Finding Out, Wilde names iconic couples and figures, so that he literally has years of history backing his case. Connecting with the first two chapters of the aforementioned book, it was stated, essentially, that as Western Europe and the United States embraced imperialism and moved into other countries, the practice of pederasty diminished in certain cultures. The absence of culturally-sanctioned pederasty would have kept Europe and the US isolated from encountering this practice, setting it up in a “us-versus-them” situation when Western individuals were finally exposed to it. And when cultures encounter new or different practices, they are unlikely to take to them right away. In addition to this, the Judeo-Christian climate of Europe would have exposed most people to the “anti-gay” verses in the Bible, and put their minds in a moral setting which banned sodomy or same-sex love (for the most part); Wilde confronts this in his line about David and Jonathan. It is misunderstood because the public believed it to be a sin, while, as Wilde puts it, it was an intellectual relationship which was actually beneficial to both individuals.

We can link this to the birth of the modern homosexual through the different ways that society has tried to “figure out” gay people, such as through science or socialization theories. A dominant and pervasive opinion that vilifies something that is not experienced by the majority, often crushes the voices of the oppressed group, eliminating their ability to tell their story. Thus, they become misunderstood.