London II: Meetings and Museums

[selenak]

Thursday was devoted to meeting friends and paying homage to gay geniuses (genii?) with tragic endings courtesy of the British penalty code. I also renewed my reader access at the British Library, which is ever so useful if you're into research in any way.

Meeting

Comments

[bimo]

Meeting [personal profile] kathyh was fabulous.

Glad to read that the two you were having such a fantastic time! :)

And yes, being a German visiting a UK museum truly does have its odd moments...

[selenak]

Then again, I passed an advertisement poster for a car the other day which had "Wunderbar!" written on it.:)

[kathyh]

maybe it's that the sound of the language already sounds sinister to English ears?

I suspect it was just to give it a wartime feel and use something different to Hitler speechifying.

I really did a double take at Sir Michael Jagger, thinking he must be a relation of Mick's then went "Duh! It is Mick!"

I was very surprised at the suggestion that Turing's suicide was in question as I'd never heard that before. I can see why people might believe it that his death was suspicious as he must have known a lot of secrets by then.

It was lovely to see you again and a definitely fabulous afternoon :)

[selenak]

I doubled and trippled my take so much I needed you to confirm it.:)

As for Turing, I thought it may have been only ignorance on my part, but if you haven't heard the not a suicide theory either, I feel relieved! And yes, so enjoyable to meet again. You need to come to Germany again next time!

[kakodaimon]

Ugh, Bosie, "ghastly narcissist" is all too correct. just as a sample, which you've probably seen already, from Wikipedia:

On another occasion, while staying together in Brighton, Douglas fell ill with influenza and was nursed back to health by Wilde, but failed to return the favour when Wilde fell ill as well. Instead Douglas moved to the Grand Hotel and, on Wilde's 40th birthday, sent him a letter saying that he had charged him the bill. ...

Wilde claimed that Douglas had offered a home, but had no funds or ideas. When Douglas eventually did gain funds from his late father's estate, he refused to grant Wilde a permanent allowance, although he did give him occasional handouts ...

Douglas served as chief mourner [for Wilde], although there reportedly was an altercation at the gravesite between him and Robbie Ross
No kidding, huh? Who wouldn't fight him at that point? While realising that, as you say, the silent sidekick is kind of in fashion at the moment, it's just too easy to have sympathy with that long-suffering Robbie Ross.

[selenak]

Oh, I' not doubting the diagnosis - I have read my share of Wilde biographies, you know - just the dramatic sense. I mean, Bosie is exposed for what he is from the moment he enters the scene in the first act, so his behavior is at no point a surprise or a revelation.

Wilde's motivation: is presented as a mixture of love, the need for it all to have a sense and purpose (which it would have to him if they have a mutual romance, and not if Bosie is simply an upper class rent boy), and a self destructive streak.

[redfiona10]

Much though I love a good conspiracy, it would involve me believing that the 50s secret service could actually have kept anything secret for that long. They don't have a brilliant record so far.

Freddie Fox has been remarkably good in everything I've seen him in.

[selenak]

You make a good point about the 50s secret service.:)

[lokifan]

I'd heard it might not be suicide, but not that it might have been murder - that it might have been an accident, given that he worked with cyanide a lot.

The play sounds great!

[selenak]

It probably says a lot about my paranoia that the possibility of an accident didn't even occur to me. :)